No Copycats Allowed! [Hardcover]

Bonnie Graves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1998 | Age Level: 6 and up

Starting at a new school, Gabrielle tries to make new friends while struggling with the spelling of her long name.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3AGabrielle is new to Room 6 and in an effort to make friends, she decides she will change to be more like her peers. Her father counsels her to be herself, but her older brother advises her, "Be like everybody else...or you won't make friends." At school, she practices variant spellings of her name (Gabby, Gabbie, and Gabi) based on her classmates' names, copies a hairstyle from one girl, and switches her interests to match theirs. All of this backfires, however; dubbed "Copycat," she runs away from school in humiliation. However, a sensitive teacher and her father convince her to return to her class and be herself, complete with her long name. Concisely told, the story's theme doesn't outweigh its characters. The nine brief chapters are just the right length to entice beginning readers. Black-and-white cartoon drawings appear throughout. Pair this with David Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes (Scholastic, 1998) for a picture-book treatment of the same theme.ASusan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children; 1st edition (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078682235X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786822355
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,710,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind, March 1, 2001

By 

Maureen Fischer (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Copycats Allowed! (Hyperion Chapters) (Paperback)

My third grade son is probably not who this book was written for, but we took turns reading it aloud in bed one night and he wouldn't let me quit until we reached the last page. It has a good plot, and kids that are real. It's a page turner and funny too. Haven't we all felt the need to copy someone else's style, look, or actions? I hate that in myself, but I find it happening in the never ending quest to be liked or at least noticed. Maybe I'm insecure, like Gabrielle. This book rings true for kids and adults. It's not easy being a third grader enduring her first week at a new school. But Gabrielle conquers her fears and figures out the ultimate truth in the end... being your own person always wins out.