Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One

Our grandsons are 8 and 6 and love Judy Blume. They laugh and always look forward to the next chapter. Young boys always try to think of little pranks to do and these books just peak their imagination.

This book is packed with seven funny, truthfully revealing peeks at the way a sister and brother get along. You'll laugh with the Great One as she tricks the Pain into getting his hair cut. You'll roll your eyes as the Great One tries to pretend she can ride a bike, while the Pain points out how she always avoids getting on her bike. But the fun doesn't stop there. No--you'll enjoy a birthday party, play soccer, and much more with this sister and brother team. Only Judy Blume can capture the humor of what it's like growing up with siblings. You'll also be entertained by the delightful and thought provoking illustrations by none other than James Stevenson. Being any only child won't stop anyone from enjoying this book, after all don't you have friends whose brothers and sisters bug you when you go over to play? We all have been bugged, followed, tricked, and mimicked by younger bothers or sisters of our own or friends and with that in mind . . . I say this book is one book the whole family can enjoy.

Does Judy Blume write anything that isn't good? If so I've not read it. I read her books as a kid and I'm thrilled to see my nine year old enjoying her work. This one is great for those with younger siblings. It suggests that we really can find good qualities in little brothers/sisters. A great summer read for 2-4th grade.

Judy Blume's SOUPY SATURDAYS WITH THE PAIN AND THE GREAT ONE offers up seven new stories centered around how brothers and sisters relate to one another. From math woes to parties and bike riding, SOUPY SATURDAYS evolves a fun set of brother/sister encounters.

Judy Blume demonstrates once again that you don't need witches, fairies, dragons or princesses to create irresistible children's literature that will keep kids, as well as their parents, hungrily turning pages for more. Soupy Saturdays revisits eight-year-old Abigail and six-year-old Jake, two of my favorite Blume characters from her 1985 book The Pain and The Great One, and takes them through a series of daily-life tasks, such as getting haircuts, washing the dog, riding bikes and having sleepovers. But Abigail and Jake turn every seemingly banal event into a lesson-learning adventure: Jake's scared the barber will get too close to his ears with his scissors and cut them off, and Jake doesn't see any problem with using human shampoo on dogs. Meanwhile, Abigail is embarrassed to admit why she's scared to ride bikes, and she's angry at Jake for being home during her much-anticipated sleepover with her girlfriends. Although Abigail and Jake annoy each other at every turn, whether they know it or not, they actually help each other overcome the other's fears and grow closer in the process. They love each other like only siblings can, and any child reading this who has a brother or sister will easily relate to these characters' bouts of resentment, jealousy, and the constant worry that their parents love the other sibling more. The writing itself is perfect for the intended four-to-nine year old target audience--quick and easy to understand but totally hilarious and very vivid. And although nearly every page abounds with delightful illustrations (courtesy of James Stevenson), the physical format of the book is more like a bona fide chapter book than a picture book, which will give younger readers an enormous sense of accomplishment upon finishing it. I loved Soupy Saturdays and can't wait for the rest of the books in the series!