A story all school children can identify with, March 23, 2010

Wilhelmina has had a rotten Christmas, thanks to her mean cousin Bud coming to stay. Things don't get any better when she returns to school - not only is Bud in the same class, but she has to sit next to him! Bud is the school bully. He dictates who is allowed to play and where, he fights with Wil and her friends, deliberately gets her into trouble with teachers and her Mum, and there is no getting away from him because now he lives in her home!Bud's parents are going through a divorce, and Wil's Mum encourages her to be understanding and nice to Bud, but that's not easy when he's so mean."The Great Snowball Escapade" has a believable and likeable heroine and children will easily identify with her and the situations she finds herself in. The book is effectively illustrated throughout with simple line-drawings.Do Bud and Wil finally sort out their differences? You'll just have to read the book to find out.

Wilhelmina Brooks, who prefers to be called Wil, is a second-grade girl. She lives with her parents and older brother Jason who happens to be away in military school. Over Christmas vacation, Wil's Aunt Karen Dunphry, who is separated from her husband and recently lost her job, and Wil's cousin Bud, who is also in second grade, come to stay with the Brooks. Wil likes her aunt, but Bud is mean to her. On the way to their first day at school after Christmas break, Bud makes fun of her name and throws a snowball at her. At school, he mistreats her friends. And she is sure that he stole her pink pencil sharpener which she got for Christmas. When Wil complains to her mother that evening after dinner, her mother replies that people sometimes say and do things that they shouldn't when they're hurting, so it would be best for them to look past some of the things that Bud is doing and try to understand him. However, that may be easier said than done. How can you be nice to...

Grownups invariably forget how difficult it is to be a child, this book's author does not! This reminds me of my childhood and the problems I encountered. I'm sure it will make my child feel like he is "normal" in this crazy world.