Amazon.com: Tank Talbott's Guide to Girls (9780807577615): Dori Hillestad Butler: Books

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up

Tank's three stepsisters will be sharing his cramped house for the summer vacation. Plus he needs a math tutor and must fill a notebook with his writing--just to pass fifth grade! But he comes up with a guide to girls that is sure to be a hit.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Tank's three stepsisters will be sharing his cramped house for the summer vacation. Plus he needs a math tutor and must fill a notebook with his writing--just to pass fifth grade! But he comes up with a guide to girls that is sure to be a hit.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 This sequel to Trading Places with Tank Talbott (Albert Whitman, 2003) stands on its own. Here, the irrepressible youngster is threatened with flunking fifth grade unless he puts in some serious summer-school effort. Only two hours daily of math tutoring and heavy journal writing can save him from humiliation. Of course, keeping his academic sufferings secret from his best buddy and good-guy role model, Jason, proves increasingly difficult as Tank's three stepsisters arrive for the summer. Mollie, who is the same age, is his particular nemesis, and his efforts to live down his reputation as bully and troublemaker grow harder in the face of her attempts to sabotage him. He has matured a lot since becoming friends with Jason, but family issues, including his former stepfather's abusive behavior, have complicated his up-hill battle to redeem himself. Readers will relate to this painfully honest portrayal of growing up as seen from a believable 11-year-old boy's perspective. Tank's inspirational idea of writing a Guide to Girls for his assignment provides lots of humor, and well-realized interactions between contemporaries and siblings add interest. Tank learns to appreciate the value of friendship and begins to deal more effectively with his problems as he negotiates the roadblocks in his path and moves on to middle school. Quinby Frank, formerly at Green Hedges School, Vienna, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Tank Talbott's summer is starting badly. Without summer school, he'll fail fifth grade; his stepsisters are coming, which means giving up his room; and he just can't understand girls. His situation inspires Tank Talbott's Guide to Girls, which he is sure will be a best-seller, as it purports to explain such mysteries as why girls wear perfume and go to the bathroom in pairs. When stepsister Mollie responds with a guide to boys, it's a battle of the sexes and siblings, bringing mishaps, misunderstandings, and, ultimately, a new perspective on addressing conflict and finding common ground. Butler's follow-up to Trading Places with Tank Talbott (2003) is a satisfying, often humorous read (Tank's explanations for girls' behavior are particularly creative), which touches on such matters as Internet safety, changing friendships, and anger management, especially as it relates to Tank's older brother. Serious issues aren't always smoothly incorporated into the story, but kids will like Tank and also understand his hope to demystify the opposite sex. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Dori Hillestad Butler Page

Dori Hillestad Butler has always wanted to be an author. She wrote her first novel when she was in sixth grade. She wrote it to find out if she could write a novel, and because she needed extra credit in her English class. Her dream of becoming a published author came true in 1997, with the publication of The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off. She's gone on to publish more than 35 additional books for children.

Her books have been appeared on children's choice award lists in 18 different states. Trading Places with Tank Talbott won the Maryland Children's Choice Award in 2007. And The Buddy Files: Case of the Lost Boy won the 2011 Edgar Award for best Juvenile Mystery.

Dori has also been a ghostwriter for the Sweet Valley Twins, Unicorn Club and Boxcar Children series, and a children's book reviewer for several publications. She's published numerous short stories, plays and educational materials, and has served as the Iowa Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators' Regional Advisor.

She grew up in southern Minnesota and now lives in Coralville, Iowa with her husband, son, dog and cat. She visits schools and leads writing workshops all over the country.

For more information, visit her website at www.kidswriter.com.