By Alidis
Vicente
Spanish translation by Carolina Villarroel
- ISBN: 978-1-55885-853-4
- Bind: Paperback
- Pages: 239
This
entertaining bilingual book for intermediate readers features
a fourth-grade bully avenger.
During the school day, Lance García
looks like a typical fourth-grader at Oakland Elementary School. But after
school, dressed in disguise—black jacket, black baseball cap and dark, cool
sunglasses with tiny, rectangular mirrors so he can see who’s behind him—he
checks the mailbox labeled “Malo Mail.” No one realizes that he is the infamous
Mister Malo, righter of wrongs, punisher of bullies.
There’s an interesting plea for help in
the mailbox. Isabella Santos spread a rumor that Madeline Wilson farted on the
playground, and now everyone makes farting noises when she walks by. No one
will talk to her, and a group of boys in particular are making her life
miserable. Madeline offers Mister Malo a large box of tropical-flavored fruit
snacks if he’ll teach Isabella a lesson. Soon Lance is busy plotting the
perfect revenge. He wants to rehabilitate the bullies and help them realize how
hurtful their actions are. What will be the best tactic to convince Isabella
that being laughed at and picked on is no fun?
But Mister Malo’s scheme doesn’t go
exactly as planned, forcing him to think outside of the box. Meanwhile, Lance
has to deal with his own problem in the form of his difficult cousin, Manuel.
This entertaining bilingual “flip” book will resonate with kids ages 8-12 in
its examination of popularity on the school grounds and dealing with
troublemakers.
Reviews
“Vicente invites readers to experience
the daily life of an elementary school anti-bully vigilante in this quirky
bilingual tale. Lance is endearingly earnest, and Vicente does a great job of
focusing on kid priorities. The educational possibilities will appeal to
parents and teachers, and the hint of Greg Heffley will draw young readers
in.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Humorous vignettes, realistic
conflicts, and a male protagonist bent on doing the right thing make this first
title in a new series stand on its own alongside other popular series for this
age group.”—School Library Journal
ALIDIS VICENTE is the author of two
bilingual books for intermediate readers in The Flaca Files / Los expedientes
de Flaca series, The Case of the Three Kings / El caso de los Reyes Magos and
The Missing Chancleta and Other Top Secret Cases / La chancleta perdida y otros
casos secretos, and two picture books, The Coquí and the Iguana (Operation
Outreach-USA Press, 2011) and Violet (Operation Outreach-USA Press, 2014). She
received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and worked for New
Jersey’s Division of Youth and Family Services. She lives with her family in
New Jersey.
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