Gooney Bird and the Room Mother (Gooney Bird Series #2)

by Lois Lowry, Lee Adams (Narrated by)

Overview

Gooney Bird Greene likes to be right smack in the middle of everything. That's why she wants to have the lead role of Squanto in her class Thanksgiving pageant. But that role will go to whoever finds someone to be the room mother. All the parents are so busy, no one can bring cupcakes to the play. Gooney Bird Greene to the rescue! She finds a room mother alright, but promises not to tell who it is until the day of the play. Now the kids are really busy getting ready for the show. But will the mystery room mother really show up?

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739372838
Publisher:	Listening Library, Inc.
Publication date:	03/24/2009
Series:	Gooney Bird Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

About the Author

Lois Lowry has written many books beloved by children and adults alike. From the popular Anastasia Krupnik series to her best-selling novel The Giver, her books have garnered countless honors and awards, including two Newbery Medals. Look for Number the Stars, Messenger, The Silent Boy, Gathering Blue, Gossamer, The Willoughbys, and The Giver on audio from Listening Library.

Editorial Reviews

This is the second book about one of the most unique heroines in middle grade fiction. Gooney Bird loves to be "right smack in the middle of things." She wears unmatched socks because matched socks give her a feeling of ennui. Gooney Bird is a second grader (my only concern is that she seems more like a 4th grader) whose passion for words, writing and stories has ignited the learning pleasure of her schoolmates. Gooney has capitalized on their excitement by getting every one of them a dictionary of their own and now when Gooney tells a story and lovely words erupt in the telling, her teacher Mrs. Pigeon dashes to write it on the board and classmates scatter for their dictionaries so they can learn the glories of words like "indefatigable" as they work on their Thanksgiving Day mural (or Muriel, as Gooney Bird calls it). The mural is interrupted by the need to search for a new room mother because this second grade is the only class that does not have one. Gooney barters the privilege of being Squanto, which will put her "right smack in the middle," for finding a room mother. Of course she succeeds, but the room mother insists on being "incognito" (another word that sends the 2nd graders scattering for their dictionaries.) Unbelievable situations become believable as readers are sucked into the superb word play and writing of Lowry and the enchanting character she has created! 2005, Houghton Mifflin, Ages 8 to 11.
—Susie Wilde

Children's Literature

Gr 1-3-Gooney Bird likes to be "right smack in the middle of everything" in Mrs. Pidgeon's second-grade class. The children are preparing for the Thanksgiving pageant (with Indians in feather headbands) and they are in desperate need of a room mother as all of the parents have refused. When Mrs. Pidgeon decides that the lead role of Squanto will go to the student who can come up with one, Gooney Bird comes to the rescue. She tells the class the story of how she convinced someone to take the job. The only catch is that this person wants to remain incognito until the big day. In Gooney Bird Greene (Houghton, 2002), Lowry used Gooney Bird's stories to introduce the different elements of storytelling. The focus in this sequel is the meaning of words. Whenever a difficult word such as "incognito" is introduced, the children are sent to their dictionaries to look it up. This technique flows well within the story, which is told mostly through dialogue. This is a fast-paced read, with Thomas's black-and-white drawings highlighting key moments. This sequel stands on its own, but readers may want to go back and learn how unique Gooney Bird Greene became a part of this classroom.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The irrepressible second grader returns, as flamboyant as ever, to offer more outrageous outfits, "absolutely true" yarns and such useful vocabulary words as "ennui" and "underestimate." All the while, she's wangling the role of Squanto in the Thanksgiving Pageant by recruiting a mysterious Room Mother, and also helping her gentle teacher Mrs. Pidgeon keep a roomful of rambunctious classmates on task with the pageant preparations. Larger than life and with a heart as big as her personality, Gooney Bird Greene will elicit gales of laughter, along with sighs of appreciation, from Suzy Kline and Junie B. Jones fans-as well as their parents-in this second winning, tongue-in-cheek outing. (Fiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews

"Relaxed black-and-white illustrations capture the diverse classroom. . . . Best of all is the story, which builds to a tense, beautiful climax as the identity of the room mother is revealed."—Booklist

From the Publisher