Review Detail

KATIE WOO RULES THE SCHOOL reminds me of books I used to read in grade school. I remember finding each chapter, with its new scenario, endlessly fascinating, and I think young readers will feel the same way about Katie Woo.

I especially enjoyed the chapter about Katie learning to deal with a bully. That rang very true for situations that often happen in elementary school, and Katie goes from crying and feeling hurt over the bully's words to learning how to ignore him and have a good day because she no longer gives him the power to bother her.

I was a bit less enamored with the chapter in which Katie steals a classmate's airplane because she wants to play with it, and then lies when asked if she knows where it is. I think this is a great scenario to deal with in a book like this, but I was unhappy that Katie fixes the situation by lying AGAIN about finding the airplane by the pencil sharpener. She admits privately to the classmate that she lied and that she took the airplane, so perhaps that's consequence enough, but I didn't care for the example of fixing one lie by telling another.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are lovely, the kids in Katie's classroom are diverse, and the situations she faces ring true for elementary school.