Planning the Impossible [Hardcover]

Mavis Jukes (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Young readers will love the latest novel from Newbery Honor winner Mavis Jukes:

River is dreading the assignment in Mrs. Furley's Human Interaction class.  The students actually have to discuss a boy's changes!  River is finding it hard enough to figure out how to interact with her own friends.  Like, she is happy that D.B. is her sort-of boyfriend, but now Kirstin is always flirting with him.  And Margaret and Noah are a good couple, but then Noah passes River a note asking her to call him at home.  River never guessed that everyday interactions could get so complicated!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Not a whole lot has changed in Mr. Elmo's sixth-grade class since Expecting the Unexpected. In this equally hilarious and energetic sequel, River, the irrepressible heroine, is still awaiting puberty, and she still has her eye on "mmmmm! mmmmm!" D.B., who is starting to return her gaze. River's antagonists, the girls in the limo-party clique, are as obnoxious as ever and even more devious, plotting to get River in trouble with her friends by signing her name to love notes sent to their boyfriends. Meanwhile, River and her friends are busy polishing their Guidebook for Sixth-Grade Parents, their response to an assignment from the ever-tolerant Mr. Elmo. Mrs. Furley (Furball) continues to teach Human Interactions (aka sex ed) and despite her embarrassing questions to the students and her flabby underarms (which "got to jiggling in a scary way"), River thinks she "could be hooked up" with buddy Margaret's single dad. Jukes's multi-ring circus of classroom antics, preadolescent courtship and squabbles with parents and peers entertainingly depicts the middle-school experience. Offering on-target dialogue and a few twists, this book will leave readers itching for another installment. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-This sequel to Expecting the Unexpected (Delacorte, 1996) features the old gang but misses the mark this time around. River and her fellow sixth graders are working on class projects that would be unacceptable in most schools. Her group is writing and publishing the "Guidebook for Sixth-Grade Parents" (to train parents not to embarrass or irritate their offspring), and spends lots of time compiling lists of expressions adults use that they find offensive. The rival group, Kirstin and pals, is planning the ultimate limousine party. Their research involves staging several rides to test the best limo food and favors. Thrown in are Kirstin's attempts to break up several couples among River's friends, miscommunication, matchmaking, and sex-ed class, along with conversations about jockstraps and thongs. Most of this is handled with slapstick humor and...the pot overflows. River's behavior is ultimately worse than Kirstin's (she pushes her into a fountain), and less defensible. One hopes that readers won't look to her for ideas on how to interact with foes. For successful school slapstick, turn to Gordon Korman's "MacDonald Hall" school stories (Scholastic); for better puberty angst, turn to Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Alice" saga (Atheneum).
Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (April 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385322437
• ISBN-13: 978-0385322430
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,837,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Parents should read this before handing it to their child., October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Planning the Impossible (Hardcover)

There were many problems with this book. I expected more froma Newberry Honor. I read this book for a book review in my Children'sLiterature class. The constant dialogue and slang is frustrating, andsome of the slang is outdated. Jukes tries to make this book current with the use of slang, which is a poor choice. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to connect with the characters, because of the lack of description and trite plot. Jukes even changes point of view at one point in the book. Another problem the editor should have caught, was she misplaced a character name at one point in the book. Jukes was supposed to use the name of the main character's sister, Megan, but used Margaret instead. Part of the story was unnecessary when describing male anatomy. Somewhere on the cover should be a clue to the parents of the content, so they can make an educated decision whether they want their child to learn these topics in juvenile fiction. Overall I was very disappointed.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing, April 12, 2003

By 

Caroline (Usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planning the Impossible (Paperback)

I am a mother and when my daughter told me to read it...i was dissapointed. I found one or two mistakes in the novel and the dialogue was not life-like at all. It was annoying how the main charachter (river) kept making comments about every statement someone said. The slang was used through out the book and was outdated and some were inappropriate.Also throughout the book, sex-education was being taught to the students which i thought was unnessacary and a nuisance to add to a child book. The good part about the book is that it has a good climax and you don't want to put the book down, although the dialogue is annoying.