From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4?Alligators Amy and Allie are best friends who do everything together until fun-loving Gracie moves in next door. Gracie invites each girl over separately and, though they feel guilty about going alone, they both have a great time. She also asks them both to accompany her to the Rockin' Reptiles concert, even though she has only one extra ticket. Worry about their threatened friendship explodes into anger when Amy and Allie discover only one of them can go and Gracie leaves it to them to decide which one it will be. They turn for help to Madam Lulu, the fortune teller, who dramatically recalls a terrible argument with her own best friend. Realizing their relationship is more important than tickets, the girls work out a fair solution to their problem and establish a solid, three-way friendship at the same time. This rather typical friendship story is set apart by reptile characters and zippy, lighthearted dialogue that includes lively snatches of Rockin' Reptile songs and Gracie's riddles. Munsinger's colorful illustrations, filled with vivacious gators, reflect the humor and tone of the story and break up the text nicely. Though the simple sentence structure suggests the book is intended for beginning-novel readers, the narrative includes some rather demanding vocabulary. Readers who are ready for challenge will relish this spirited tale.?Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr 2-4. Here's a comic take on a recognizable childhood dilemma that gets additional lift from lively full-color illustrations. According to pesky Marvin, gators Allie and Amy are best friends, "together-forever goony friends." But their friendship is tested when new gator Gracie moves to the neighborhood. It seems Gracie has only one extra ticket to the Rockin' Reptiles concert. Will it be Allie or Amy who gets to rock the night away? The solution makes everybody happy. With slightly enlarged type, lots of dialogue, and a cast of winning characters, this is choice chapter-book fare. A good follow-up to "The Gator Girls." (1995).
