Off and Running

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but lacks convincing suspense
Review: "Off and Running" is a quick read with pleasant characters and vignettes, but although the central event--the election for student body president--should quicken the pulse, it fails to. Everyone is just too nice. Miata, the very serious girl, is portrayed fairly realistically, as are her modest goals if she should be elected (sprucing up the school, creating a "lake of flowers" around it). Her opponent, Rudy, is a buffoon, but not a nasty one, which is not so realistic. No one gets hurt very much, and there are no hard feelings, which, given the intensity of children's emotions, is a little hard to believe. If only it were so simple! Of particular interest is Miata's desire to connect to older, successful politicians, to learn from them.

No child will have nightmares from having read this book, and it's possible that it might inspire a little desirable imitation. It's not demanding and will help children maintain reading skills during the summer.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but lacks convincing suspense
Review: "Off and Running" is a quick read with pleasant characters and vignettes, but although the central event--the election for student body president--should quicken the pulse, it fails to. Everyone is just too nice. Miata, the very serious girl, is portrayed fairly realistically, as are her modest goals if she should be elected (sprucing up the school, creating a "lake of flowers" around it). Her opponent, Rudy, is a buffoon, but not a nasty one, which is not so realistic. No one gets hurt very much, and there are no hard feelings, which, given the intensity of children's emotions, is a little hard to believe. If only it were so simple! Of particular interest is Miata's desire to connect to older, successful politicians, to learn from them.

No child will have nightmares from having read this book, and it's possible that it might inspire a little desirable imitation. It's not demanding and will help children maintain reading skills during the summer.