Vendor
	Foundry Claire Harris
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational
Weblink
www.lisagraff.com

SOPHIE SIMON SOLVES THEM ALL

Jason Beene Lisa Graff

Even geniuses have problems.

Third-grader Sophie Simon is one smart cookie. In her spare time, she makes robots out of toothpicks and operates on earthworms. But does that impress Sophie's parents? No, sir. Sophie's parents wish their daughter was more "well-adjusted." They wish she had at least one friend. But Sophie knows that friends are a waste of time... That is until Sophie encounters a problem that is too big for even a genius to solve all by herself.

Lisa Graff is the author of UMBRELLA SUMMER and THE THING ABOUT GEORGIE, which was named to eight state reading lists, including the Texas Blue Bonnet master list. She grew up in a small town in California and received an MFA in writing for children from the New School in New York City. Currently, she works full-time as a writer and lives in Brooklyn.

Available products
Book Published 2010-09-01 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Book Published 2010-09-01 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Comments

Like the Wayside School series and Florence Parry Heide's The Problem with Pulcifer, this spoof tickles the funny bone with witty observations and ridiculous situations. Sophie's serious tone amidst all the drama makes this an unexpected page-turner-the reader knows each child's story will turn out fine but wonders how Sophie will put it all together. The funny situations and the loving but dense parents add up to a delightful read-aloud as well.

This reading romp has plenty of kid appeal.

Brilliant but socially backward, eight-year-old Sophie Simon doesn't bother to hide her brains. She is quite comfortable reading Thoreau's Civil Disobedience under her desk during math, but she is disdainful of her parents' suggestion that she try to make a friend or two. Still, to earn money for the graphing calculator of her dreams, Sophie attempts to solve several classmates' personal problems and ends up with more than she bargained for. The appended glossary, entitled "Sophie Simon's Encyclopedia of Things She Can't Believe You Don't Know Already," defines terms such as Greensboro sit-ins, reverse psychology, and topographic map. From Sophie's doting-but-clueless parents to the tyrannical ballet teacher aptly named Madame Robespierre, the portrayals of adults are frequently, amusingly over-the-top. Sometimes exaggerated for comic effect and occasionally poignant, the black-and-white illustrations capture the story's sense of humor as well as its sense of style. A fresh, funny chapter book for young readers.

How I wish I had Sophie Simon to help me solve my problems! Lisa Graff packs humor and action onto every page in this delightful romp with Sophie and her gang of newfound friends. Kids are going to have no problem devouring this one!

Sophie Simon is a hilarious hoot! Genius has never been funnier.