Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem

March 15, 2020
On the first day of second grade, Stella Endicott meets her new teacher, Ms. Tamar Calliope Liliana, whom she wants very much to impress--and so does the annoying boy at the desk next to hers. During the second week of school, Stella's class is assigned to write a poem that includes a metaphor. After school, Stella visits her friend Mercy Watson the pig. She cuddles up close to Mercy on the couch and begins to write. Stella eagerly writes about Mercy, the sound of the neighbor's accordion, and leaves that fall balletically from the tree outside. She is so excited about her poem that when know-it-all Horace Broom asks if he can read it, Stella doesn't hesitate to share. Horace immediately begins to pick it apart, scornfully informing her, "Pigs don't sit on couches, they live on farms." Angry, Stella loudly defends her poem. The two argue, and Ms. Liliana sends them to see Mr. Tinwiddie, the principal. It is this sentence that forces Stella to act using "courage" and "curiosity," resources she draws on to encourage Horace, who is so afraid by the expected dressing-down that he runs out of the office and into more trouble than either of them thought possible. The academic setting, imaginative Stella, and brown-noser Horace combine for an ideal opportunity for DiCamillo to exercise her characteristic wordplay. Stella is biracial (black/white), Ms. Liliana appears black, and Horace presents white. An adorable story that teaches readers that things--and people--are not always what they seem. (Fiction. 6-9 )

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July 1, 2020

Gr 1-3-The fifth installment of Kate DiCamillo's beloved "Tales from Deckawoo Drive" series. After a three-year hiatus, young readers will be thrilled to reunite with their favorite characters and improve their reading skills with DiCamillo's clear, crisp prose. Stella Endicott is a bright and determined student, so when her teacher Miss Liliana asks the class to write a poem using a metaphor, she rises to the task. Horace Broom, however, is not impressed; he questions the quality of her work. Stella becomes indignant and before she knows it, the two of them get sent to the principal's office for arguing. Consumed by fear, Horace runs away from the office with Stella right behind him until they get locked in the janitor's closet. They discover they have more in common than they thought and become unexpected friends. This book maintains the charming and whimsical narrative style that has made the "Tales" series a gold standard for early reader books. DiCamillo regularly uses advanced vocabulary and seamlessly weaves word definitions into the plot. With metaphor as a primary concept, this text could easily be used in a classroom curriculum. Van Dusen's illustrations are delightful as always, and enhance the story with their humorous and exaggerated quality. VERDICT An engaging and high quality book for young students that will appeal to reluctant and advanced readers alike.-Katherine Hickey, Metropolitan Lib. Syst., Oklahoma City

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
This fifth entry in the series (Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, rev. 9/14, and sequels) stars young Stella Endicott. Stella is enchanted with her new second-grade teacher, Miss Liliana (whom she likens to a good fairy); annoyed by smug know-it-all classmate Horace Broom; and excited about the homework assignment: to write a poem containing a metaphor. Then she and Horace argue loudly in class (a Miss Liliana no-no) and are sent to the principal's office, resulting in an unlooked-for adventure, new understandings, and the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Several fellow residents of Deckawoo Drive (including pig Mercy Watson) make guest appearances, but DiCamillo keeps the focus tightly on Stella; and the familiar and successful DiCamillo recipe of humor mixed with wisdom is much in evidence here. As Stella and Horace are making their trepidatious way to see the principal, the school maintenance engineer shows them his neatly organized supply closet to illustrate a point about life: "'Are you speaking metaphorically, Mr. Murphy?' said Stella. 'I'm speaking janitorially,' said Mr. Murphy." And: "There's always surprises...There's patterns, and there's surprises, and that's good. It makes things interesting." As ever, Van Dusen's frequent illustrations add so much, capturing with apt exaggeration all the drama, humor, and emotions of Stella's adventure- and metaphor-filled day.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2020
This fifth entry in the series (Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, rev. 9/14, and sequels) stars young Stella Endicott. Stella is enchanted with her new second-grade teacher, Miss Liliana (whom she likens to a good fairy); annoyed by smug know-it-all classmate Horace Broom; and excited about the homework assignment: to write a poem containing a metaphor. Then she and Horace argue loudly in class (a Miss Liliana no-no) and are sent to the principal's office, resulting in an unlooked-for adventure, new understandings, and the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Several fellow residents of Deckawoo Drive (including pig Mercy Watson) make guest appearances, but DiCamillo keeps the focus tightly on Stella; and the familiar and successful DiCamillo recipe of humor mixed with wisdom is much in evidence here. As Stella and Horace are making their trepidatious way to see the principal, the school maintenance engineer shows them his neatly organized supply closet to illustrate a point about life: "'Are you speaking metaphorically, Mr. Murphy?' said Stella. 'I'm speaking janitorially,' said Mr. Murphy." And: "There's always surprises...There's patterns, and there's surprises, and that's good. It makes things interesting." As ever, Van Dusen's frequent illustrations add so much, capturing with apt exaggeration all the drama, humor, and emotions of Stella's adventure- and metaphor-filled day. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)