Attaboy, Sam! (Sam Krupnik) [Hardcover]

Lois Lowry (Author), Diane de Groat (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1993 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Sam Krupnik

In this second book about Anastasia Krupnik's younger brother, Sam concocts a perfume made of his mother's favorite smells to honor her request for only homemade gifts for her birthday.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this high-spirited and generally funny novel, Anastasia Krupnik's younger brother displays her enterprising spirit--and her propensity for disaster. For his mother's birthday, Sam determines to concoct a special perfume by combining her favorite smells: his father's pipe, chicken soup and freshly washed hair, to name a few. The resulting hideous brew is uncorked in a waggish scene that resists the obvious moral ("It's the thought that counts") and concentrates instead on the value of enjoying a good chuckle at oneself. Sam's generosity and naivete, along with his relationship with Anastasia, add palpable warmth. The book's humor, however, is not consistently focused. On the whole, it seems geared to readers at the lower end of the age range, those young enough to identify with a preschooler's mistakes. But other elements--in particular, a subplot concerning an awkward poem Anastasia is writing--are better suited to older readers. Ages 7-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Mrs. Krupnik insists she wants only homemade gifts for her birthday--except for a new bottle of her favorite perfume. When it turns out the fragrance is no longer available, Sam rises to the occasion with a concoction of his own invention. After all, he knows all his mother's favorite smells and has all of a week to collect them. By week's end, Sam's surprise is bubbling and brewing--and fouling the air of his bedroom--and his enthusiasm wanes. Meanwhile, Anastasia and her father are having second thoughts about their own offerings. Can this birthday be saved? Yes, hilariously, as Lowry succeeds where others might fail in taking each carefully contrived scenario one step beyond its predictable outcome. Readers may well anticipate the results of Sam's attempts to collect that ``new baby'' aroma, but it's the essence of baking bread that proves the salient ingredient of the noxious brew. And readers all know that the boy will somehow manage to keep the gray kitten his father is allergic to, but it's serendipity and not the relenting of adoring parents that allows it to happen. While Lowry snags readers with her teasing style, exaggeration, and gimmickery, she holds them with an unerring sense of humor and a sure sense of her audience. Attagirl, Lois! --Marcia Hupp, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 116 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078071850X
• ISBN-13: 978-0780718500
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,131,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purrrrr-fume!, November 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Attaboy, Sam! (Paperback)

I read the book Atta-Boy Sam. It's a story about a little boy named Sam who is 4 or 5 years old, and it's his mom's birthday.The store ran out of her favorite purfume Sam wants it to be the best birthday ever so he decides to make a home made purfume!Sam pays extra attention to what she likes the smell of.Sam's invention starts to bubble, so Sam gets scared and hides it. POP! I think this is a good book because it's rather cute and funny, like when Sam puts chicken noodle soup in his invention.The 'Sam'and 'Anastasia' books I can never put down because they're just so interesting.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS BY LOIS LOWRY!!!!, March 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Attaboy, Sam! (Sam Krupnik) (Hardcover)

In "Attaboy,Sam!", Lois Lowry captures the feelings and imagination of Sam Krupnik. When his mother's birthday comes up and he learns that her favorite perfume is no longer carried,he sets to work making some for her.It has captured the hearts of thousands of people,and I am one of them.It holds the interests of children,but many adults have enjoyed it too.I am in second grade, and once when I checked it out from the library,a boy kept pestering me about the grade level it was on.I think everyone should read it.

3.0 out of 5 stars A good bedtime story, April 1, 2011

By 

E. S. Charpentier (Brainerd, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attaboy, Sam! (Paperback)

In the second book of the Sam Krupnik series, Sam tries to make his mother a birthday present, with disastrous results. Young people will be entertained by the antics of Sam. Older readers will admire the author's ability to write in the first person with a true child's voice. This is a good book to read to kids at bedtime.