Review Detail

I was first introduced to Alvin Ho when it was a nominated Cybils book. I totally loved him! So much to love! Alvin's fears are something kids will be able to relate with. As a former first grade teacher, I would have loved to have shared Alvin's adventures with my class. One huge plus is Alvin is a multicultural protagonist.

In this fifth book in the series, Alvin finds out his mother is pregnant. But worse she tells him, "Oh, you're simply pathetic pregnant." This after Alvin starts feeling the same way his mother does. Alvin is like any second grader out there and takes things literally meaning he actually thinks he'll have a baby too! This is where the story had me laughing out loud. The chapter where Alvin's classmates check out all about being pregnant is hilarious!

I loved his definition of the ultra sound photo his mother has of her baby on the refrigerator:

...Baby?
That's a baby?
I thought they were satellite pictures of UFO landings!...

Love it!

The interactions he has with his fellow classmates are real and also funny too. And I love his family! The multicultural dynamics in this series is a breath of fresh air.

Some of my favorite parts include having Flea, the patched eye girl in his class, telling a news reporter that Alvin is pregnant. That's why he's so big. And the reaction of Alvin, is priceless!

So much to love in this story. His older brother Calvin and his interest in anything to do with DMV rules. **You never too young to know them! I love his engineering design to help stop a thief that has been robbing houses near them.

The only thing that I did want to see was a resolution behind who was stealing but then again sometimes things like this aren't resolved in real life.

Laugh out loud hilarious with a character who will sure be a hit in any elementary classroom. If you love Junie B. Jones, this story is a must read. Highly recommended for classroom libraries!