Robert and the Practical Jokes

Rubber snakes. Plastic vomit. Shrunken heads. Robert Dorfman's third grade classroom has become the arena for a boys-versus-girls practical jokes competition. As each side tries to outdo the other, the pranks become increasingly gross. But Robert isn't convinced girls are all bad until the new girl, Lucy, tricks him into eating something really disgusting. Robert is less than thrilled, then, when he learns he'll be attending a wedding reception that involves dancing. With a girl. Still, he's determined to learn how to dance. The paper footprints he's taped to the floor as guides work great until his big brother Charlie decides to play a trick on him. Barbara Seuling understands that seemingly minor incidents can loom large in a child's life, and Robert's struggles with the opposite sex and his game attempts to deal with the pranks are funny and believable. Paul Brewer's quirky black-and-white drawings enhance the book's comic appeal.