Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day
By Matt Berman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Molly takes her eccentric grandma to high school.
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What's the Story?
Molly, who lives with her eccentric grandmother, Irene, keeps her whole life organized in a binder. So when that binder disappears she is thrown for a loop, especially since today is Senior Citizen's Day at her Catholic school, and Irene is the only grandparent to accept the invitation. Tripping and giving herself a black eye gets the day off to the kind of start Molly expected without her binder, but it's going to get worse. Much worse.
Is It Any Good?
Unbelievably prolific, Newbery-honored author Gary Paulsen can toss off a slight little thing like this with one hand tied behind his back, and probably did. It's mildly amusing, not very believable, and drills home his debatable, rather stereotypical Message -- that being organized and enjoying life are incompatible. This has been done many times before, and better.
The book's size and cover art make it look like a transitional story for second- or third-graders, but its tale of middle school crushes, delinquents, rebellion against authority, poetry slams, and The Message is aimed at older kids. Perhaps it would work for the high-interest, low-vocabulary crowd, but it doesn't seem powerful enough to grab the interest of a reluctant reader. Gary Paulsen is one of our greatest authors, but this is not one of his greatest books.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the point the author is making. Can one be too organized? Does being organized interfere with enjoying life?
Book Details
- Author: Gary Paulsen
- Genre: Humor
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Random House
- Publication date: February 13, 2005
- Number of pages: 105
- Last updated: September 14, 2015
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