Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by E. Davis

From my Literary Journal in my  Children's Literature class:
Davis, E. (2009). The secret science alliance and the copycat crook. New York, NY.
            Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books. 154 pp. (Grade Level: 3rd-7th)

            Julian is excited about moving to a new town because he wants a fresh start, one where he is not the nerd. He tries this at his old school, but does not like it very much, and eventually cracks and lets off how smart he is. This leads to his inclusion in the secret science alliance, where the three members design and create inventions. Until, that is, their notebook full of all their ideas is stolen, and the thief builds their inventions and passes them off as his own.
            This graphic novel was fun to read, full of colorful frames and lots of information. Some of the characters spit out facts and history rather often, and they would be easy for students to pick up and remember. I liked that there were a couple twists in the plot, and I also liked the friendship exhibited by the three Secret Science Alliance members. This would be a valuable addition to the classroom because of discussion of friendship, and how we treat each other and ourselves, and it would also be an interesting time to have students create an invention and describe it on paper, and present their blueprints to the class. 

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