Customer Reviews

Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet

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"Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet"

by Graham Salisbury

(Random House, 2009)

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This is a fast-moving book about a fourth-grader named Calvin Coconut, who lives in Hawaii with his single mom and little sister. Coconut is his real last name: his now-absent dad was a popular lounge singer ala Don Ho, who changed the family name to suit his career. It's okay, though -- none of Calvin's friends mind him having a made-up name. No one, that is, except the school bully, Tito, who has it in for the younger kid and keeps threatening to beat him up. Anyway, school just started and Calvin is settling in to a new routine, but somehow trouble just seems to keep heading his way, as it often does with ten-year old boys.

"Calvin Coconut" is a very readable, fast-moving book -- the short, four-page chapters help -- and while it isn't great literature, it is consistently engaging and entertaining. There's a little bit of local Hawaiian culture to be seen within its pages, but mostly what kids will take away is how much Hawaiian kids are like kids elsewhere, full of curiosity and prone to misadventure whenever possible. A good, quick read with a likable goofball hero. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

My seven-year-old boy loves these books! He laughs out loud to the humor and sweet mischeif that Calvin gets into. And, Mom likes that Calvin makes the right choice in the end. If your child likes the Wimpy Kid stories, Magic Tree House, and Cap'n Underpants, he/she will love this series. These are sweeter than Wimpy Kid, funnier that MTH, and more ....they remind me of the boys in the movie "Stand by Me"---school, bugs, summer, and sweet fun.

Graham Salisbury, Trouble Magnet (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)

Salisbury kicks off his Hawaii-set series featuring pre-teen Calvin Coconut with Trouble Magnet, a cute book that introduces the characters and some basics of Hawaiian life to younger readers. I think he may underestimate the knowledge of mainlanders sometimes (is there a kid who's been to a county fair anywhere in the country who doesn't know what shave ice is?), but readers will get "ooh, gross!" kicks out of Calvin's out-of-this-world descriptions of traditional Hawaiian snack food (and I gotta say, anywhere you can buy dried squid in cellophane packages to snack on is all right by me). Salisbury does keep things universal with school bullies, canny-but-not-too-canny adults, and what promises to be a standard romantic subplot as things progress, and it's a nice blend. I liked this one. *** ½

Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury is a must read for all. Calvin Coconut is the son of singer Little Johnny Coconut (who changed their family name to coconut). Now that his dad decided to follow his dreams to Las Vegas, Calvin is the man of the house living with his mom and younger sister. He is given a lot of responsibilities, except he keeps messing them up. Calvin wants to be a responsible young man, but that isn't always easy when you are only nine years old.

Today mom has a surprise for Calvin and his younger sister Darci. They are going to be having a fifteen year old girl from Texas move in with them. Calvin new right from the start this was not going to be good. The first change for Cal was moving into the storage room in the garage and giving up his bedroom. Then this girl would be the babysitter for Darci (and Cal) when mom was at work. Who did she think she was giving out orders? Not that she wasn't bad enough, he is also trying not to get in the way of the bully at schools fists. Making Tito mad was not a good idea and Calvin was in some serious trouble. If you want to find out if Calvin survives all of his blunders, you will need to read it for yourself.

Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet is fun and fast paced. It is sure to keep your child's attention. I would recommend the book for second to fourth graders who enjoy a great story with pictures here and there to keep the interest alive. I have now read two of the Calvin Coconut stories and am truly a fan.

By Kerri J. Busteed

Author of Will's First Hunt Will's First Hunt

Fourth grader Calvin Coconut lives in Kailua, on Oahu, with his sister and their single mom. Calvin became the "man of the house" when his dad, singer Little Johnny Coconut, had a hit song, and left the family, "for the bright lights of Las Vegas." Here, Calvin explains his last name:

"Coconut was my dad's idea. He made it up. For a famous singer, Little Johnny Coconut sounded way more interesting that Little Johnny Novio, which was our real last name. Dad was so pleased with himself, he made the name legal. Now we were all Coconuts."

Kids will love this warm, gentle, funny and true-to-life series. For adults who went to school in Hawai'i - brace yourself for the rush of memories of da hanna-batta days.

Calvin is Henry Huggins. Calvin is Tom Sawyer. Calvin is the all-American boy we've come to know and love. In trouble most of the time, but somehow it's not really his fault. So we know this character, but do we? Calvin lives in Hawaii. His dad is a pop singer who hit it big and left the family for the mainland. One of Calvin's new friends has just come to Hawaii and is having difficulty fitting in because he is white. I like it. And it is my first official 2010-2011 Bluebonnet book. Nineteen more to go.

It seems like every other book that's published these days has a #1 slapped on the spine. I can understand why. Series books allow readers to get comfortable with characters and form a connection that can last over the course of a lot of reading. They're also the ultimate "what do I read next" solution:

Young Reader: What should I read next?

Me: Well, you read and enjoyed the first outing of Horrible Harry, correct? Might I humbly suggest that you will likely find the second installment of interest.

Young Reader: Why are you talking like that?

Me: Sorry. Try book #2.

Anyway, series books often introduce characters that kids want to go on adventures with. Magic Tree House, Harry Potter, Nate the Great, Cam Jansen, The 39 Clues - the list truly goes on and on, and is growing. Kids like series books. And kids are gonna like Calvin Coconut. In Trouble Magnet (Calvin Coconut #1), readers are introduced to a character that is instantly likable, living in a unique setting, getting into the sort of situations that kids will laugh about and identify with. Push this one on your series-loving young readers.

Calvin lives with his mom and six-year-old sister Darci in Kailua, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Just about to start 4th grade (and looking forward to his ex-army teacher Mr. Purdy), Calvin receives some surprising news and some bad news. The surprising news is that the Coconuts will be taking on a temporary new member, 15-year-old Stella, from Texas. The bad news is that she'll be taking over Calvin's room (moving him to the bug-infested garage) and eliminating his status as the oldest kid in the family. While our hero tries to sort out that predicament, he also has to do his best to fend off the slow witted school bully (sixth grader Tito Andrade) who seems to have it in for him. These two situations eventually collide, paving the way for a conclusion that will please young readers.

When I first got a load of this book I couldn't help but think "the story takes place in Hawaii and the main character's last name is Coconut? Isn't that sort of, I don't know, offensive?" That concern was put to rest quickly however when the reader learns that Calvin's father, a one-hit-wonder singer, changed the family's last name to Coconut from Novio for career purposes. It's a showbiz thing. This back story also clues the reader into the fact that Calvin's dad left for the bright lights of the mainland four years ago and has yet to return.

Calvin himself is refreshingly normal, and his personality drives the jovial, upbeat mood of Trouble Magnet. He's not a genius, but not a poor student either. Funny, but not a class clown. When difficult situations arise, it isn't the end of the world to Calvin, but it isn't fun either. There's a realism to the character that kids will find comfortable.

With so many #1s being applied to spines these days, it's easy for new series to run together. With humor, likable characters, and loads of readability, Trouble Magnet stands out. Keep checking for Calvin Coconut.

Well-known young adult author Graham Salisbury's newest novel, Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet, ventures into the realm of primary grade readers and aspires to charm an entire new group of readers with his small kid stories. Although this is Salisbury's first book written specifically for younger readers--from first graders ready for "chapter books" to fourth graders who are the same age as the class of rascals in Trouble Magnet--this is clearly no longer uncharted waters for Salisbury. The continuing adventures of rascal Calvin Coconut will certainly whet the appetite of younger readers and encourage them to read on their own as well as clamor for their parents or teachers to read aloud to them.

Like the Graham Salisbury I have watched charm student (and adult!) audiences with his natural flow of small kid time stories, in Trouble Magnet he captures the realities of elementary kids' mischievousness, fears of repercussion, and triumphs. As a teacher, I appreciate Salisbury's uncanny knack for understanding and conveying the nuances of the dynamics of the classroom; he shows us both sides, too. We see the frantic teacher on the first day of the school year (Mr. Purdy's Fourth Grade Boot-Camp) trying to figure out which kids are the rascals and need to be seated far away from each other, when to be suspicious of kids' behavior, and how to maintain the fragile balance between order and chaos in the classroom. We also see into the minds of fourth grade "trouble magnet" Calvin and his friends who love to bring excitement (such as jars holding spiders, ants, lizards, mice or even a centipede) with them to school. Salisbury realistically includes in his cast of characters Willy, "the newest blondest kid in the fourth grade," and fifteen-year-old Stella, a visitor from Texas staying in Calvin's household, who talks funny and doesn't yet have a taste for the local delicacies such as dried shrimp. With this mix of characters, the next adventure is always about to happen!

Although this book delighted my own seventh graders when I read an excerpt aloud to them, I was curious to see how the intended audience of younger students would react. To this end, I enlisted the help of my colleague Mary Jo, a first grade teacher at my school, who elatedly took the book home to select passages to read aloud to her students. Coincidentally, she chose the same chapters I had shared with my students: chapters 3 and 8, "Centipede" and "Escape," respectively. Her students were "enthralled!" They understood what a magnet does, got excited when the centipede got loose, and loved the illustrations and especially the map of Calvin's Kailua neighborhood (some of the students live in that part of Oahu).When I talked with the first graders briefly, they excitedly asked where they could get the book so they could read about the rest of Calvin's adventures on their own.

Artist Jacqueline Rogers's delightful illustrations perfectly capture the personalities of the characters, the diversity of their ethnic backgrounds, and the genuine sense of the Hawaii setting. Her colorful cover drawing, especially, is a magnet for the younger students.

Graham Salisbury has certainly found a new audience for his delightful books. My colleague, her students, and I are already among readers looking forward to the second and third books in the Calvin Coconut trilogy.