Customer Reviews

The Screaming Mean Machine

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderful book for K-4th grade students. It is an excellent example of a personal narrative and is therefore good to read aloud to children when teaching writing. It is filled with descriptive words, sensory details, and similes. The young girl riding The Screaming Mean Machine (roller coaster) is filled with anticipation, fear, and excitement. You feel as though you are with her on this ride. Youngsters are enthralled as they go along on this journey.

We recommend this book to anyone who likes roller coasters and a story with good descriptive details. It's great for kids who are just starting to learn how to add details and larger vocabulary in their writing. If you've ever been on a roller coaster or will be going on one soon, you should read this book!

I have read this book to my children literally 100's of times. It is especially exciting for younger children who have yet to experience the firsthand thrill of riding a roller coaster. Joy Cowley does a wonderful job of presenting the perspective of a young, first-time roller coaster rider. David Cox does a fine job with his creative artwork.

I was a bit taken aback by the poster who suggests the book may be in some way offensive due to the usage of the words "Freak" and "Freaking", As I write this post I have a copy of The Screaming Mean Machine in front of me. The word "Freaking" is not use in this book. The word "Freak" is use 4 times in what I consider to be appropriate context. The word "Freak" seems to be a term used by the author to convey the obvious emotion, apprehension, and excitement shown by the main character.

This book is targeted towards young children, it is an early reader book. As a mother of 2 young children, I found it very offensive. The author uses the word "freak" and "freaking" several times in the book. As I grew up, this word was a substitute for a word that is certainly NOT appropriate for children, never mind preschoolers who like to repeat every new word they hear. I would certainly NOT recommend this book to anyone.