Hocus Focus (Science Solves It)
Gr. 2-3. Though his doctor has prescribed glasses, nearsighted Jack decides not to wear them in school after Hank calls him "Four Eyes." Instead, Jack teams up with Gina, a farsighted classmate, who has also been dissuaded from wearing her glasses by Hank's taunts. Their cooperative plan to see both near and far works pretty well until their class goes on a geology fieldtrip, where their poor vision puts Gina in a dangerous predicament. In a comic twist, they both arrive at school the next morning wearing glasses to find an uncommonly friendly Hank wearing braces. Along with the simple story and colorful, cartoon-style illustrations, this paperback from the Science Solves It series delivers some useful facts about eyesight and common vision problems. The last page, "Think Like a Scientist," points out how scientists work, then draws parallels to the story and provides a vision-testing activity.Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved