ALVIN HO
Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things
by Lenore Look & illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Bright, energetic Alvin Ho is about to enter the second grade. The middle child in his close family, he idolizes his devoted, patient dad. He’s a big superhero fan and he loves all things that explode. His enthusiasm, however, doesn’t carry over to school—he’s so petrified while there that he can’t utter a single word: “But as soon as I get to school…I am as silent as a side of beef,” he explains. In the vignettes that make up this exuberantly funny slice of Alvin’s life, Look portrays the world as it would be viewed through the eyes of a wildly creative but undeniably neurotic kid. In his hometown of Concord, Mass., Alvin searches for friends, meets with a psychotherapist (who he supposes must be a “very smart crazy person” based on her job title) and gets himself into a variety of jams. A witty glossary and Pham’s simple yet expressive line drawings perfectly complement this appealing story about the refreshingly original, endearing Alvin. (Fiction. 7-10)