friday book review: late for school

late for school
by mike reiss
suggested reading level: ages 4-8

smitty, who lives in the city, has never been late for school. But on one particular day, after waking up late, he misses his carpool. as the morning progresses, his problems grow bigger. strange weather phenomena, prehistoric glitches, aliens, and snowmen are some of the obstacles he faces on his mission to school. as smitty faces one outrageous problem after another, he becomes more determined than ever to make it to school on time. what happens when he finally arrives at school delivers an unexpected twist.
children & parents alike will be drawn in by the grossly exaggerated illustrations and funny situations,
and the rhyming sequence. whether timely or tardy, many school age children can recognize some of the scenarios. however, the surprise ending throws everyone for a twist.

this is the first book sam checked out from the school library.
library time has been a hit for him,
and this book came out instantly when i picked him up from school that day.
this choice of book is rather fitting for sam.
he hates to be late for school!
i'm grateful for that trait,
and thankfully we have not been late for school.
yet.
even after today's morning adventures.
we normally walk to school,
but this morning i let the boys sleep in because i knew they needed it.
i knew we would be driving.
we went to the van in plenty of time to get to school,
but the van battery was dead.
quick thinking,
and i realized pete rode his bike instead of driving.
i ordered everyone to the black car while i got the keys.
well, there were no keys.
perhaps pete took them to school???
we were doomed to be late.
there was no way we could walk to school and make it on time at this point.
sam was facing his worst school fate.
he was going to be late for school.
thankfully as we started on our journey our friend jamie came down the street in her car.
she stopped,
we asked for a ride,
which she gladly gave,
and sam still made to school on time.
i felt like this book,
one catastrophic event after another.
whew!

*interesting side note... the author of this book was also a writer for The Simpsons