Worst. Mother. Ever.

[rivka]

How could I forget the cardinal rule of children's literature:

The beloved pet always dies in the end.

In my defense, I would never have dreamed that that trope started as early as the I Can Read series. But it does.

Alex sobbed. "Why would they WRITE a children's book like that?" she demanded. Um. Not sure. In middle grades novels, the dog dies to symbolize the lost innocence of childhood. But I-Can-Read books are for little kids.

Worst. Mother. Ever.

Comments

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Later, after being traumatized again and again by Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller, I recommend No More Dead Dogs by Gordan Korman. Definitely middle grades, but makes up for being kicked in the teeth by these books as a kid.

Also, poor Alex. :(

[shandra.livejournal.com]

Second this. :)

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

Seriously, within age-appropriate limits, is there anything by Gordon Korman that isn't a great read?

[brainwane (from livejournal.com)]

I LOVE _No More Dead Dogs_ and clicked Comment to recommend it. And yes, Korman is fantastic.

dornbeast, I'm not terribly fond of some of his recent stuff, like _Swindle_ and _Zoobreak_. And I haven't read the sports series, The Jersey, or The 39 Clues. But yeah, I would recommend heartily nearly everything Korman wrote between 1978 and 2005. He's the only author I *collect* (children's stuff goes out of print so quickly!).