Charlie Bumpers vs. the Really Nice Gnome (Charlie Bumpers Series)

by Bill Harley, Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

Overview

Charlie is ready to play the bad guy in the class play, but Mrs. Burke has other ideas!
Charlie Bumpers has his heart set on playing the role of the evil Sorcerer in the fourth grade play. But his dreams of villainous stardom go up in smoke when he finds out that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome! Determined to rectify this terrible injustice, Charlie concocts one plan after another, but nothing seems to work.
To make matters worse, his dad has assigned chores to all the kids in the family and Charlie’s job is walking Ginger – the diggiest, sniffiest, and poopiest dog in the universe. Can Charlie deal with these challenges without causing havoc all around him?
This fun series for young readers from Grammy–award winning author, Bill Harley’s uses humor to illuminate important values such as taking responsibility, being helpful, and making the best of a bad situation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561458318
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Publication date:	03/01/2015
Series:	Charlie Bumpers Series
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	421,174
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Bill Harley is a two-time Grammy Award-winning storyteller, musician, and writer who has been writing and performing for kids and families for more than twenty-five years. He is the recipient of Parents’ Choice and ALA awards. He won a 2007 Grammy Award for his children’s storytelling album Blah Blah Blah and a 2009 Grammy Award for his children’s spoken-word album Yes to Running! Bill Harley Live. He lives in Massachusetts.

Adam Gustavson is the illustrator of more than twenty books for children, as well as numerous periodicals. He holds a master of fine arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and teaches at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He lives in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

A storyteller with an uncanny sense of elementary school humor, Harley has penned a worthy sequel to Charlie Bumpers vs. The Teacher of the Year (2013). With illustrator Gustavson, he captures the frustration that comes with just having to make the best of a bad situation.

From the Publisher

Charlie Bumpers is fine with being Mrs. Burke’s fourth grade class even though she has a lot of strict rules. He wants to be the evil sorcerer in her annual play, but instead he is assigned the Really Nice Gnome part. And, on top of that, he had a lot of lines to learn. Charlie attempted to trade with some of his willing classmates but Mrs. Burke would not allow it. Charlie’s mother encourages his to take on this big role, but Charlie was determined to make a change, adding some new lines and hopefully get the approval of Mrs. Burke. Author Bill Harley has created a hilarious story built just for boys. This quick easy read has heart with characters are completely relatable and loveable. Black and white illustrations are found throughout and help keep the story intriguing. Parents, teachers and caregivers could present this as a read-aloud project. Reviewer: Kristi Bernard; Ages 9 to 12.

Children's Literature - Kristi Bernard

Fourth-grader Charlie Bumpers knows which part he wants in Mrs. Burke’s class play, The Sorcerer’s Castle, and which part he most definitely does not want. Of course, instead of getting to play the role of Evil Sorcerer Kragon, with his deliciously evil laugh, “Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!” Charlie finds himself cast instead as the-all-too-tease-worthy, nice-all-the-time Nice Gnome. Charlie utilizes every possible strategy to escape from impending humiliation: he works out a trade of roles with other disgruntled thespians; he rewrites the Nice Gnome’s lines to turn him into the Hilarious Gnome; he forgets his lines on purpose during a crucial rehearsal. But each time Mrs. Burke responds with her own equivalent of the most famous line from the super-hero TV series Charlie adores: “I—don’t—think—so!” Young readers should connect easily with Charlie’s predicament; family and peer dynamics are believable and ultimately affectionate (although Charlie’s older brother mocks him mightily as the “the Guh-nice Guh-nome,” he comes through for him at crunch time); Mrs. Burke is no pushover, but has her students’ best interests at heart. Funny, touching, and just right for fourth grade. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D.; Ages 7 to 10.

Children's Literature - Claudia Mills

Charlie Bumpers is excited to be in Mrs. Burke’s play…until he learns that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome. He does not want to be the Nice Gnome. The Nice Gnome is so boring and…well…good. Charlie wants to be the Evil Sorcerer and knows that he could really have fun with that part. No matter what he tries (switching parts or messing up his role), he cannot get out of being the Nice Gnome. And to top it all off, he has to deal with walking the dog, getting along with his brother and sister, and having parents who actually care about what is going on in his life. This humorous story is about a kid who likes to laugh and wants more than anything else to be that cool kid everyone likes. He does not want to be embarrassed by playing a dumb role like the Nice Gnome. Those who are looking for a good family read-aloud will enjoy this story, not only because it is a good story about a fun kid, but because Bill Harley is also a great storyteller. Beware, you might have the Charlie Bumpers song stuck in your head for a few days because it is just that catchy. Reviewer: Joella Peterson; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Joella Peterson

2014-02-19
Charlie Bumpers knows the role he wants in the fourth-grade class play: Evil Sorcerer Kragon. What does he get? The Nice Gnome. Boogers. Disappointed and angry, the endearing Charlie goes to battle. Three times, he tries to rid himself of the horrible part with its ridiculous costume. He even rewrites all of his lines to make them funny and cool, like the hero of his favorite TV show, Buck Meson—Detective from Andromeda. But Mrs. Burke is unyielding. This role is worse than having to clean up after his dog, Ginger. As the big night approaches, though, a special touch is added to his costume that makes a difference: Big brother Matt has taken a pair of white sneakers and spray painted them gold. "Awesome shoes," Matt says. "Awesome gnome." The last 20 pages quickly give Charlie a golden touch, as he saves the performance in multiple ways. Charlie even gets to ad-lib the Buck Meson quote he worked so hard to include. A storyteller with an uncanny sense of elementary school humor, Harley has penned a worthy sequel to Charlie Bumpers vs. The Teacher of the Year (2013). With illustrator Gustavson, he captures the frustration that comes with just having to make the best of a bad situation. Charlie's fans will be psyched to see that Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull is scheduled for fall 2014. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews