MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE WRITING THANK-YOU NOTES

Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has 13 thank-you notes to finish before she and her twin brother Mark can go visit their father in Hollywood at the end of their Christmas vacation. Part of Moxy’s current career plan includes becoming a rich and famous movie star through being “discovered” on this trip, but her procrastination has pushed her mother to threaten to cancel the visit if they aren’t done that afternoon. Moxy’s typically inventive scheme—involving her stepfather’s new copier and gold spray paint—has unintended consequences. Black-and-white photographs, attributed to her brother, document the chaos that ensues. The off-kilter illustrations, obvious chapter headings, deadpan narration and repetition add to the humor but also make this an appealingly easy read. Gifford knows just what will attract her audience. This sequel to Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little (2007) has a bit more depth, touching on the painful situation of children whose father doesn’t have time for them, but is just as funny as the first. Resourceful and resilient, Moxy is a pleasure to meet again. (Fiction. 7-11)