The Brand New Kid [Hardcover]

Katie Couric (Author), Marjorie Priceman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole were running and laughing-their first day of school was today! And they wondered just what was in store.
Would this be a good year?
Would school be a bore?

Everyone remembers feeling excited and nervous each fall on the first day of school. It's no different for Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole. But this year, there's not only a new teacher to meet, but a brand new kid as well. Lazlo S. Gasky doesn't look or speak quite like the other kids, and no one is sure what to make of him. In fact, they respond to his arrival at Brookhaven School by taunting and teasing him. But when Ellie realizes how tough it is for Lazlo, she reaches out, and after school one day they share an afternoon of soccer, strudel, and chess. Besides making a new friend, she and Lazlo teach their classmates an important lesson-one that isn't in their schoolbooks-about accepting people who are different...and in getting to know Lazlo, the kids learn that people aren't that different from each other after all.

From one of America's most respected journalists, The Brand New Kid is a heartwarming story about tolerance and the need to give others a chance that will entertain and inspire children and adults alike.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On Ellie and Carrie's first day of second grade there's a brand new kid in the class. But when the teacher asks her students to welcome the ultrablond, blue-eyed, pink-lipped, loud-voiced, accent-sporting Lazlo S. Gasky to Brookhaven School, they all mock him instead: "Too different and strange to fit in they all feared." Lazlo grows unhappier by the minute, as he is ostracized and taunted by his classmates. One day, however, when Ellie sees his sad-looking mother walking forlornly toward her car ("Her son's having trouble, she might pull him out, / this school may be wrong for him, she's full of doubt"), things begin to look up for Lazlo. At that moment Ellie begins to wonder what it must be like to be a new kid, feeling so "different and strange," and she decides to take steps to get to know him, even at the risk of facing her friends' ridicule. ("At school the next day the kids stopped her and said, / 'You were walking with Lazlo, are you sick in the head?' / Ellie paused and replied, 'Now I know him, you see, / Lazlo isn't that different from you and from me.'"

NBC News' Today coanchor Katie Couric's rhyming book provides a healthy approach to treating people who may be perceived as different, and works well as a springboard to discussion. Though the suddenness of Ellie's turnaround in attitude seems a bit unnatural and the rhymes are often forced ("They arrived at his door greeted by his French poodle / and Mrs. Gasky was there with a plate of warm strudel!"), the message of The Brand New Kid will certainly not be lost on children. As Couric writes in her introduction, "It sometimes takes courage, but I hope this story will inspire all of us to reach out and make someone feel a little less scared and a little less lonely." Hear, hear. Caldecott Honor artist Marjorie Priceman's watercolor spreads are positively delightful, washing warmly over the pages in a free, buoyant style. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Couric, co-host of NBC's Today show, pens an energetic though uneven picture book about tolerance. When second grader Lazlo S. Gasky, who speaks and looks different from everyone else, arrives at Brookhaven School, the other kids are quick to both tease and alienate him. Some weeks later, when Ellie McSnelly sees Lazlo's tearful mother, the girl makes kind overtures to him that Lazlo happily returns many times over. Ellie soon inspires others to extend a hand in friendship. Couric's laudable message of inclusion comes through. Unfortunately, however, the narrative's rhyming-couplets format results in forced, sometimes ungrammatical, phrasing (e.g., "They arrived at his door greeted by his French poodle/ and Mrs. Gasky was there with a plate of warm strudel!" and "He's terrific at chess, and his Mom's really sweet./ Playing soccer the guy doesn't have two left feet"). In what appears to be a hole in the plot, Ellie's best friend, Carrie, from whom she is initially inseparable, all but disappears for much of the proceedings. Priceman (Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin) compensates by picturing Carrie even when she's absent from the text. Using softer lines and more muted hues than usual, the artist captures a full gamut of emotion, particularly in the crabby faces of taunting classmates and a beaming portrait of Lazlo at the moment he makes his first real friend. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385500300
• ISBN-13: 978-0385500302
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Prejudice & Racism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for kids and adults: Attention, teachers!, October 11, 2000

By 

cpandza (Stratford, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brand New Kid (Hardcover)

This is a great little book that deals well with a difficult but all too common problem--kids cruelty to other kids. I chose it because of the theme of kindness (too few children's books address this issue in an amusing, engaging way).

I read it to my 7 year old son, who loved the rhymes and the illustrations, and who then chatted with me for ten minutes about how important it is to reach out to other kids, and about how hard it can be. I plan to read it to my son's class this Thursday during story time, and then to conduct a discussion on how the kids can be kind to each other and why it's important to have courage.

Katie Couric's poetry is fun and engaging and Marjorie Priceman's illustrations are lovely. I am a self-employed Human Resources consultant and trainer, so I mostly teach adults, and I can tell you that there are many grown-ups who encounter difficulties at work because they have never acquired the skills necessary to deal successfully with other people. It is in our best interests to spend some time teaching our kids about kindness and courage and tolerance. This book does that, and with a light hand, so that it's still fun for kids and adults. I can't wait for more books!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't Work as a Read-Aloud, November 12, 2000

By 

A Student Teacher Specializing in Early Literacy (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brand New Kid (Hardcover)

I agree with the reader from Amherst that the rhymes in this book are VERY clunky. I bought it for the charming illustrations and for the theme (I'm currently working on a lesson plan about acceptance, diversity, etc.). However, I regret buying it, because it's extremely difficult to read out loud. The rhymes are awkward, and the inconsistent metre ruins any sense of flow.

There are plenty of high quality children's books that deal with this theme. Take a pass on this one, and try Wolf! by Sara Fanelli, or Something Else by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell. Both of these books have talented illustrators AND writers.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Better Luck Next Time, December 30, 2000

By 

MB (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Brand New Kid (Hardcover)

I like Katie Couric on the"Today Show", I like the fact that some of the proceeds are going to charity, I like putting out the message of tolerance - what I don't like however is this book.The writng is mediocre at best. If someone else's name was on the cover I seriously doubt it would have ever been published. There are far better children's books with messages that are just as valuable only they have talented authors who wrote them. Hopefully, Katie can do better on her next book (yes, she is writing another one). Oh, there is one more thing that I like - the fact that I didn't have to pay for it, my daughter got it as a gift.