Stella Batts Needs a New Name (Stella Batts Series #1)

by Courtney Sheinmel, Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Stella Batts. She is eight-years old and she loves to write. She loves to write lists; like her favorite things and kids in her class. And she's writing her autobiography ("That means it's all about me"). Stella's favorite color is yellow and she LOVES fudge. As a matter of fact, there is a special fudge counter at her family's candy store because fudge is one of her favorite things to eat!

But Stella has just one problem----her name. A boy from her class keeps calling her "SMELLA" after she trips on their class nature walk ("I don't even want to say what I landed in, it was too gross, so I'm going to leave out that part"). So Stella decides there's really only one thing to do: she has to change her name. After all, how hard can it be to pick a new name? But it's not as easy as it sounds.

In this early chapter book series, the ups and downs of Stella's life are charmingly chronicled.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585361854
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	01/15/2012
Series:	Stella Batts Series , #1
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

Editorial Reviews

First in a series featuring eight-year-old Stella, Sheinmel's unassuming story, cheerily illustrated by Bell, is a reliable read for those first encountering chapter books. An aspiring writer, Stella tells her story in the form of an autobiography, describing her daily life as a third-grader with a pesky younger sister, mildly annoying classmates, and a few good friends. Stella's father and pregnant mother own a candy store, complete with a chocolate waterfall and party room. But even though the store sells fudge named after her, Stella has developed a dislike of her name following an embarrassing incident in which she earned the nickname "Smella" ("I'm going to leave out that part," she initially insists). When she changes her name her friends follow suit, leading to some unconventional choices like "Caramel" and "Scheherazade," as well as identity confusion and bickering. With a light touch, Sheinmel (All the Things You Are) persuasively conveys elementary school dynamics; readers may recognize some of their own inflated reactions to small mortifications in likeable Stella, while descriptions of unique candy confections are mouth-watering. Ages 5–9. Agent: Alex Glass, Trident Media Group. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

In the first of a new series, third-grader Stella realizes she really needs a new name, since the class bully has started calling her "Smella," following an unfortunate (and stinky) accident on a field trip. That's not the only reason that Stella wants to change her name; she's also frustrated because she doesn't have a nickname. She and her best friends decide to choose new names that seem more appropriate to their interests: Candy! Willa becomes Caramel, Lucy's new name is Truffle and Talisa is Kit Kat. But Stella surprises everybody when she chooses the name of a bookstore for herself--Scheherazade, or Sherry for short. After a few days of name changing, described in Stella's autobiography, she realizes it's hard to remember everyone's new names, including her own. When she hears that her parents chose Stella especially for her, that's sufficient reason to give up her new one. Featuring large print and cheery black-and-white illustrations on almost every spread, this would be an easy sell for girls just transitioning to chapter books. While nothing of great significance happens, it effectively portrays the minor ups and downs of typical suburban elementary-school life, neatly captured in Stella's age-appropriate first-person narration. A pleasant, good-humored early chapter book with the effervescence--and substance--of a soft drink. (Fiction. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews