Amazon link: How to Be Cool in the Third Grade – By BETSY DUFFEY
“Babies can’t talk like you and me,” she continued. “They can’t say ‘I’m hungry,’ or ‘I’m wet’, or ‘I’m tired.’ But they sure can let you know when they want something.”
How simple it seemed, Robbie thought, looking down at Tobey:
Waaa! And you got whatever you want. He wished it was that simple when you grew up.
Waaa! New jeans would appear.
Waaa! People would stop calling you names.
Waaa! Your mother would stop kissing you at the bus stop. (p. 47)
— An excerpt from the book, ‘How to Be Cool in the Third Grade’- By BETSY DUFFEY
How to Be Cool in the Third Grade: Published in 1993
A story about a timid boy named ‘Robert Hayes York’; who dislikes his baby name Robbie, hates his school clothes which his parents chooses for him to wear—tan and stiff shorts, white socks and shirt with collars, despises his mom’s kisses at the bus stop—to cause a spot of the bright red lipstick on his cheek — at the start of the academic year into the third grade Robbie writes down a set of necessary rules which, according to him, will help him become cool—and how a bully boy ‘Bo’ at school changes Robbie’s attitude for better, as well as Robbie’s niceness changes Bo’s rudeness towards him …
The title of the book admiringly suggest that this book is specifically meant for third graders i.e. children of 7 to 8 years; however this nice, humorous, short, fiction story is a suitable read for children between the age-group of 8 to 10 years too; at a leisurely pace a child may take a week’s time to finish reading this book.
Author: Betsy Duffey is the author of numerous books for young readers; her books have been Junior Library Guild selections, Crown Award nominees, and have been Parent’s Choice and Children’s Choice selections. Her books have been translated into Japanese, Korean, Dutch and Danish, and included in numerous book clubs.
Illustrated by Janet Wilson
Literature- https://plus.google.com/collection/8V90GE
