The Annoying Team

June 1, 2002
(It is " Booklist" policy that a book written by a staff member receives a brief descriptive announcement rather than a review).

Gr. 2-4. Cooper, the author of numerous books for children and young adults, drew on the real-life story of a nine-year-old boy for her third entry in the Road to Reading chapter-book series. This time, bullying is the subject. Big Jon Ferguson likes to annoy kids, and Tim is tired of being pushed around and called names. Hoping to turn the tables on the bully, Tim starts The Annoying Team. The pranks work wonderfully well at first; then things get out of hand.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2002
Tired of being picked on by the class bully, third-grader Tim organizes an "Annoying Team" to get back at Jon. After its initial success, the group gets out of hand: it harasses a substitute teacher with bird calls, holds up the school lunch line by dropping coins, etc. Illustrated with serviceable line drawings, this simple story has an intriguing premise but is too easily resolved.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2005
Tired of being picked on by the class bully, third-grader Tim organizes an "Annoying Team" to get back at Jon. After its initial success, the group gets out of hand: it harasses a substitute teacher, holds up the school lunch line, etc. Illustrated with serviceable line drawings, this simple story has an intriguing premise but is too easily resolved.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)