Things I learned: jellyfish are aliens. Sock discomfort can ruin your whole day. Throwing more items to knock your frisbee off the roof is never effective and often makes things worse. Sasquatch has a bed of moss. Chinese finger traps really work (I know!) Playground tire tunnels are scary. Hot peppers (eaten raw) will devastate you- but boys go for it anyway. Wallace still obsesses over pinball machines. Amelia gets a cute pink talking doll- and her first inclination is to “blow it up as soon as possible,” oh yeah. Wallace breaks his arm skateboarding and bemoans all the things he can’t do- until he get swarmed by girls’ questions and attention. All the summer things: toughing bare feet on hot pavement or sand, collecting bugs, throwing water balloons. I love that the kids’ swear word is radishes. And that the mom is an avid gardener- in Wallace’s house (just like mine) they rescue spiders. And the mom is a surfer! When a hurricane is coming, the dad is scurrying around to board up windows, while the mom runs out to catch a huge wave. Great.
Fun that the end of each book has a page or two of crafts to do at home. Previous ones (I forgot to mention) included how to grow a houseplant from an avocado pit, and make a crown from found nature objects (leaves, flowers, etc). This volume has making a birdfeeder from pinecones and peanut butter rolled in seeds (done that), painting rocks (my kids have done that) and paper mâché masks (cool).
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 4/9/24.
