Vernick Audrey Vernick

First Grade Dropout Vernick Audrey Vernick

Marc Notes: After an embarrassing incident, a young boy decides to quit school. Review Quotes: * "Vernick's tousled-haired hero may feel miserable, but he has the self-awareness, timing, and raconteurship of a master monologist; readers will be won over from his intriguing opening line ("I've been lots of things") and quickly assured that this, too, shall pass."--"Publishers Weekly," starred reviewReview Quotes: * "Vernick s tousled-haired hero may feel miserable, but he has the self-awareness, timing, and raconteurship of a master monologist; readers will be won over from his intriguing opening line ( I ve been lots of things ) and quickly assured that this, too, shall pass." "Publishers Weekly," starred review "Cordell's ink-and-watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the first-person narrator's every emotion: chagrin, nervousness, embarrassment, sadness, anger. A sure conversation-starter about empathy." " Kirkus" "With cartoonish, frenetic lines and messy blobs of color, the childish feel of Cordell's illustrations make Vernick's message clear: school life and friendship can be confusing... Many readers will recognize themselves in these pages." " Booklist" "Vernick's tightly wound age-appropriately self-absorbed narrator is hugely relatable, but readers will also get that he's overdoing it...a riot as well as an analgesic." " Horn Book Magazine""Publisher Marketing: The first grade narrator of this book has been lots of things: Hungry. Four years old. Crazy bored. Soaking wet. Pretty regular kid . . . until he makes a mistake so big that he s sure he will never be able to go back to Lakeview Elementary School. All readers, even those not in first grade, will find the narrator s feelings familiar, and discover that even though embarrassing things happen, they re usually not as bad as they seem. And sometimes they re even funny!" Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 04/20/2015 (EAN 9780544129856, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2015 (EAN 9780544129856, Hardcover)

Booklist 06/01/2015 pg. 112 (EAN 9780544129856, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Vernick, Audrey Audrey Vernick is author of the picture book biography"Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team", as well several picture books and novels. She lives with her family near the ocean in New Jersey. Learn more about her at www.audreyvernick.com. Contributor Bio:  Cordell, Matthew Matthew Cordell spilled a whole bottle of ink while drawing this book. Forgive him, white carpet is painfully boring. Matthew lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, writer Julie Halpern, and their daughter, Romy. He is the author and illustrator of Trouble Gum and the illustrator of Toot Toot Zoom!, Mighty Casey, Righty and Lefty, and Toby and the Snowflakes, which was written by his wife.