Saturday, June 20, 2020

The Incredible Twisting Arm by Kate Egan with Magician Mike Lane and Eric Wight- ADVISABLE


The Incredible Twisting Arm by Kate Egan with Magician Mike Lane, illustrated by Eric Wight. CHAPTER BOOK. Feiwel and Friends, 2014. $14.99. 9781250029157.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

The Incredible Twisting Arm is about a 4th grader named Mike. He struggles to do well and have interest in school, and his parents are worried about him. He gains a great interest in magic and wants to do anything he can to convince his parents that he is responsible enough to bike to the magic shop by himself. His parents’ biggest worry is that will become distracted by magic to the point that he won’t be able to succeed in school. In order to convince them otherwise, he enters in to an extra credit science project, and decides to perform magic. His teacher was very impressed, but his parents felt that this only proved that magic was distracting for him. His teacher urged his parents to allow him to pursue magic, as his magic is actually helping his school work, not hindering it. He was then allowed to ride his bike to and from the magic shop.

The Incredible Twisting Arm was very well written for a 4th grade level. It is engaging and touches on frustrations and challenges that a typical 4th grader might have. I liked the way that it also discussed the boy’s relationship with his parents and that even though they didn’t seem to completely understand him and his interests, they have his overall growth and safety in mind. He is respectful and patient with his parents as they all try to work out a resolution together. The book also has pages inside that explain how to do the tricks that Mike performs. If a child has an interest in magic tricks, The Incredible Twisting Arm is an excellent introduction.

Reviewer: AR/SL

No comments:

Post a Comment

Welcome to Kiss the Book Jr.!

Welcome! Kiss the Book Jr. is for board books, picture books, early readers, and chapter books.  Also, any novels and non-fiction that we ag...