Non-Random Acts of Kindness (Life of Ty Series #2)

by Lauren Myracle, Jed Henry (Illustrator)

Overview

 
Ty Perry’s second-grade life is crazier than ever.
 
He’s trying hard not to worry too much, but that’s not easy when his brain is filled with so many thoughts, like finally finding a pet for Baby Maggie, his sometimes-crazy classmates, and the dreaded neck-pinch-of-death. And then there’s his upcoming recitation about doing an act of kindness in front of the whole class!
 
Ty remains his wacky, curious self in this bighearted second installment of the Life of Ty series. Practicing kindness, random or not, doesn’t take that much worrying after all. Being kind is part of being Ty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698137547
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/03/2014
Series:	Wildwood #03 , #2
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Lauren Myracle (www.laurenmyracle.com) is the bestselling and award-winning author of many novels for teens and tweens, including The Winnie Years series. Lauren received a master of fine arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. She lives with her kiddos in Colorado.

It was a fortunate mix of ingredients that formed illustrator Jed Henry (jedhenry.tumblr.com). Barefoot summers on the Ohio River. Painting trips in the country with his mom. A few years spent roaming the streets of Tokyo. Jed thanks his lucky stars for all these experiences, and draws on them daily to flavor his books. When Jed illustrates, he's always surprised by what happens on the next page, and he hopes his readers are having just as much fun. Jed currently lives in the Rocky Mountains of Utah with his brilliant wife and two beautiful daughters.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Accolades for Lauren Myracle
Thirteen: Children’s Choice Book Award; IRA/CBC Children’s Choices Master List
Twelve: IRA/CBC Children’s Choices Master List
Let It Snow: Children’s Indie Next List
Kissing Kate: ALA Best Books for Young Adults; Booklist Top-Ten Youth Romances; Booklist Top-Ten Book by New Writers

Editorial Reviews

Accolades for Lauren Myracle
Thirteen: Children’s Choice Book Award; IRA/CBC Children’s Choices Master List
Twelve: IRA/CBC Children’s Choices Master List
Let It Snow: Children’s Indie Next List
Kissing Kate: ALA Best Books for Young Adults; Booklist Top-Ten Youth Romances; Booklist Top-Ten Book by New Writers

From the Publisher

03/01/2014
Gr 1–4—In the second installment in this series, seven-year-old Ty must navigate the sometimes chaotic events of his life both at home and at school. When his teacher gives the class an assignment to do random acts of kindness and then present a recitation for the class, Ty feels nervous and slightly confused. He soon realizes, with the encouragement of his sister Winnie, that kindness is something that comes naturally to him and that even though people do make mistakes, there is no need to get bent out of shape about it. There are moments of humor and the character development is solid, but important moments in the story sometimes get glossed over. For example, when Ty's friend Lexie pressures him into breaking a rule, there are no consequences. Later, Ty and his friends are told that a classmate being treated for leukemia is well enough to come back to school, but the scene unfolds quickly and does not get enough attention. While there are moments of humor, kid-friendly dialogue, and Ty and other characters are well developed, the overall story lacks focus. Still, playful illustrations add a fun and engaging element to the text, making this a nice chapter book series that will appeal to boys and girls alike.—Melanie Okadigwe, Children's Literature Consultant, NY

School Library Journal

2014-03-03
Ty is back, and he's a little nervous about his latest class project: to practice random acts of kindness and then recite them to the class at the end of the week. After all, how can you "do random acts of kindness on purpose?" He's also promised his sister, Teensy Baby Maggie, that he'll get her a pet; his best friend, Joseph, is in the hospital with leukemia; and his "sometimes best friend," Lexie, nearly chokes him to death. This is a lot for any 7-year-old, and it's particularly hard on a worrywart like Ty. While there are certainly kids out there who will relate to Ty's nervous nature, many may be turned off by his narrative voice, which often seems babyish, inconsistent with a bright boy who understands what "random" means and corrects his teacher about it. Still, the biggest disappointment here is that Ty is clearly a kid with a big heart, and it's too bad readers aren't given the opportunity to feel a little more of what he does. For example, while there are references to Joseph's cancer and hospitalization, they are few and far between. Dropping the C-bomb in an early chapter book feels like a big deal, one that's worthy of a little more exploration. A so-so read for the second-grade set. (Fiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews