Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophes (Alvin Ho Series #3)

by Lenore Look, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Overview

Here's the third book in the beloved and hilarious Alvin Ho chapter book series, which has been compared to Diary of a Wimpy Kid and is perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers.

Alvin Ho, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything. For example, what could possibly be so scary about a birthday party? Let Alvin explain:
• You might be dressed for bowling . . . but everyone else is dressed for swimming.
• You could get mistaken for the piñata.
• You could eat too much cake.
• You could throw up.
So when Alvin receives an invitation to a party—a girl’s party—how will he ever survive?

From Lenore Look and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham comes a drop-dead-funny and touching series with a truly unforgettable character.

“Shares with Diary of a Wimpy Kid the humor that stems from trying to manipulate the world.” —Newsday

“Alvin’s a winner.” —New York Post

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375873690
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/13/2011
Series:	Alvin Ho Series , #3
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	21,643
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

LENORE LOOK is the author of Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things and Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters, both of which received starred reviews and were named to Kirkus' annual best books list. She's also the author of the Ruby Lu chapter books, both of which were named ALA Notable Books. Lenore is the author of several picture books, including Polka Dot Penguin Pottery.

LEUYEN PHAM is the illustrator of The Best Birthday Party Ever, by Jennifer LaRue Huget; Kelly Dipucchio's Grace for President, a New York Times bestseller; Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry; and God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She is the author and illustrator of Big Sister, Little Sister, a Child Magazine Best Book. Learn more at leuyenpham.com.

Editorial Reviews

Alvin Ho doesn't like birthday parties. They are scary and unpredictable and way too many things could go wrong. But when Alvin learns that Hobson, one of the cool gang members, is having a party, Alvin wonders if he will be invited. After all, he wants to fit in with the gang, and he loves playing King Philip's war. Sure enough, a birthday invitation does arrive for Alvin, but it is pink and it is not from Hobson but from his friend Flea, a girl. Alvin certainly does not want to go to a girl's birthday party. He might be mistaken for a pinata! He might eat too much cake! He might throw up! His mom tells him he should be happy he was invited. She offers to take him shopping, but Alvin is allergic to shopping. Then he comes up with a plan. If he goes shopping and goes to the party, maybe his mom will reward him with the Deluxe Indian Chief outfit he has wanted forever. As the birthday party nears, Alvin becomes more and more terrified. Then, to his surprise, he gets an invitation to Hobson's party. The trouble is Hobson's party is the same day and same time as Flea's party. What should Alvin do? The day of the parties, Alvin goes to Hobson's house. The boys play settlers and Indians. Alvin is having a great time, but suddenly, he realizes he doesn't feel wonderful. He knows he should be at Flea's party because that is the right thing to do, and that makes Alvin feel happy. In this third book in the "Alvin Ho" series, Look, writes another simple but charming story about a little boy and his hilarious irrational fears. Reviewer: Jody Little

Children's Literature - Jody Little

Back for a third adventure, anxious Alvin Ho faces such terrifying scenarios as a class visit to the houses of famous deceased authors in his Concord, Mass., hometown and negotiating the particulars of being invited to a girl's birthday party, even as he yearns to be invited to the shindig of another (male) classmate. As in the first two in the series, illustrator Pham's expressively appealing ink drawings add life, and Alvin proves an engaging narrator, whose imagination runs wild to hilarious effect. His likable, funny siblings and caring, if at times exasperated, parents are also along for the ride. Troubling in this volume, however, is that at the coveted boys' birthday party, everyone is dressing up as Indians and settlers, and Alvin figures his ticket is a "deluxe Indian Chief outfit." Although there is a brief note in the always-creative glossary regarding the colonization of Native peoples' land during King Philip's War, there is no textual mitigation of a running joke that seems anachronistic at best--readers may well be left feeling uncomfortable with the stereotype. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews