When Charlie McButton Lost Power

by Suzanne Collins, Mike Lester (Illustrator)

Overview

An electifying picture book from the author of The Hunger Games.

Charlie McButton likes computer games so much, he never plays with anything else. When a thunderstorm knocks out the electricity, his tech empire comes tumbling down, and his whole world loses power.

He needs batteries—FAST. But the only triple A's he can find are in his little sister's talking doll. Will he resort to desperate measures and cause his little sister to have a meltdown of her own? Or will be snap out of his computer craze long enough to realize he can have fun with her, even without batteries?

Suzanne Collins, author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy, and award-winning illustrator Mike Lester team up for a hilarious and timely tale that will crack up young computer addicts and those who love them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142408575
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/06/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.06(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Suzanne Collins was inspired to write this book when her own techno-loving son realized that his toddling little sister was also interactive—and required no batteries! Ms. Collins' other titles include the award-winning Hunger Games trilogy and The Underland Chronicles. She lives in Connecticut.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A clever, humorous story in rhyme. (School Library Journal)

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3-A clever, humorous story in rhyme. Charlie's techno-driven world comes to a crashing halt when a thunderstorm causes a power outage. His mother advises, "You'll have to find something without plugs to play./Read a book!/Clean your room!/Sing a song!/Model clay!" Uninspired, Charlie finally remembers an old handheld video game, but the battery is missing. Desperate, he steals one from his sister's talking doll and ends up in the time-out chair. Feeling remorseful when the little girl starts crying, he seeks her out and the two have a grand time playing games and pretending to be dragons and wizards. When the power returns, Charlie is ready to retreat to his "handsets and bots" but decides that it might be fun to spend some time with his sister as well. The hilarious cartoon illustrations are bold and appealing and depict the siblings' many emotions with exaggerated clarity. While the mother appears only as a hand patting her panicked son's head, the family dog is usually present, patiently enduring a hose-down from little Isabel Jane or angrily reproving Charlie for hurting her feelings. Pair this tale with Glenn McCoy's Penny Lee and Her TV (Hyperion, 2002) for a fun storytime during "TV Turnoff Week."-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

A clever, humorous story in rhyme. (School Library Journal)

From the Publisher