Publication date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
ISBN-13: 9780374305185
Synopsis
Young
Louie Burger likes to spend his time in his big closet preparing comedy
routines for his shows and comedian posters, but when his sister asks the big
question “Are you really a comedian if you don’t perform in front of others?”
Louie’s closet is in danger of disappearing and he can’t get that questions out
of his head, especially with the fifth grade talent show coming up and several
people telling him he should perform.
Now Louie
isn’t in danger of losing his comedy stage but also of losing his best friend
when a new friend comes into Nick’s
world and Louie feels set to the side. Can Louie get his confidence and perform
with an audience while getting back his spot as Nick’s best friend?
Review
The
Barftastic Life of Louie Burger had me worried at first; there was an excessive
use of the word barf, I say excessive because it is a word we don’t hear so
often and here you might get to see it on every third page or so. I thought the
book would lose all relevance and the word barf would be the only thing I would
end up remembering from this book; I was gladly proven that I was wrong.
Louie is a flawed character, he feels real and
you can feel his change moods along the story. I like how he doesn’t make it a
big deal that he is the only male sibling in his family and how he takes the
time to play with Ruby his quirky and adorable little sister that isn’t afraid
of marching at her own beat.
The
lessons Louie learns in this book are valuable for every kid to remember,
bullies aren’t funny and you should not make fun of someone else just to escape
the bully-radar, being afraid is natural but there are some rewards for those
that decide to take the risk any way, don’t judge others by their appearances you
might be stealing yourself of a wonderful opportunity.
I would
have wished that the character known as Thermos would have had a more complete
part to the story, I know this is Louie’s story but I think this character
could bring a story really worth telling to the table. The way this character
gets bullied and the way Thermos fits into the story would have helped give
this story the extra kick it needed to be a great story.
Yes, I
do think The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger is a book worth checking with your
little owns.
Rating:
