Mark Hopper is the smartest student in the sixth grade, and he knows it. When another Mark Hopper moves to town (the same age, with similar looks), Mark Hopper makes trouble for Mark Hopper. The Mark everyone knows isn?t very nice, so the other Mark finds no one will talk to him. The new Mark isn?t very brainy, so the other Mark worries that people will think he?s a dummy. When a teacher forces them to be study partners, they realize that they can benefit from one another?s strengths?and maybe win the Mastermind Challenge together. Trouble is, one of the Marks wants to win so badly that he?s willing to steal from Mark.
The Trouble With Mark Hopper
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7—There are two Mark Geoffrey Hoppers entering seventh grade at Ivy Road Middle School in Greenburgh, MD. One is a straight-A student, very conceited, and obnoxious. The other is friendly and an average student. Since only one Mark Hopper is registered for school, both boys spend a confusing first day. Much to their chagrin, a teacher assigns them to be study partners. The "mean" Mark deviously creates a plan to promote himself as the first seventh grader to enter the Mastermind tournament. He needs to list two talents to be considered for the contest. He can use his music ability but is at a loss for the second one until he sees the other Mark's amazing artistic skills. He takes his drawing, which is on display in the school art show, to submit as his own for the tournament. Taking advantage of Mark's easygoing personality, he convinces him to take part in the team-building part of the tournament since "mean" Mark has such difficulty "playing with others." Although the use of identical names gets confusing at times, Weissman steers readers through the plot with clear distinction between the characters. The concluding chapters shed light on the reasons behind "mean" Mark's behavior and lead him to see by the other child's integrity what it means to be a true friend.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Realistic school interactions and a very funny supporting character in Grandpa Murray give Weissman's novel a lot of kid appeal with substance." --Horn Book
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great middle grade read,
By The Book Nosher (Bainbridge Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Trouble With Mark Hopper (Hardcover)
The Trouble With Mark Hopper is about two (very different) boys named Mark Geoffrey Hopper, and the intersection of their lives at the beginning of sixth grade. It's a middle grade novel with all the elements of a good story--mistaken identity, lots of comic twists and turns, great characters (who change and grow), strong tension and some underlying poignant moments.The story takes place in a town called Greenburgh, where Mark Hopper has lived all of his life. He is the smartest kid entering the sixth grade, and he knows it. In fact, he's developed quite a reputation in the years leading up to middle school, arguing constantly with teachers about his grades (he believes he deserves 100% on everything) and talking incessantly about how smart he is to his peers. Understandably, he is not at all well liked by kids or adults. He lives with his mom and his equally obnoxious older sister Beth. His dad has just moved out. Enter the new Mark Hopper who has just moved to Greenburgh with his mom, his older sister Beth, and his grandfather (his father has had to stay behind in their old town while he tries to sell their house and get a new job in Greenburgh). This Mark Hopper is pretty much the exact opposite of the other Mark Hopper: He's friendly, easygoing, a fairly average student and a fantastic artist. The first few chapters are quite funny as they detail the chaos involved with registering the new Mark at his new school, which includes a mix-up with their schedules (honors classes vs. regular classes, band vs. art), and a fairly inept administration and computer system. Weissman does a very nice job developing each of the Mark's personalities. What is remarkable is that she never tells you which Mark she is talking about, it's always just "Mark," and yet you quickly figure out which one it is. It's very tightly written. While The Trouble With Mark Hopper can best be described as a "school story," along the lines of Andrew Clements' stories, it has some really great moments in each of the boys' homes. In fact, it's through their home situations that you begin to understand why one Mark is so disagreeable and the other so wonderful. Smart Mark's father is really distant and unpleasant, while the other Mark's Grandpa Murray is a warm and memorable character. His relationship with his grandson is a pleasure to observe. In fact, it's the boys' relationships with their families where the story dips a little deeper; making each one a more fully developed three-dimensional character. However, what makes this a page-turner for kids is what happens at school. The differences between the two Marks become evident right away. Artistic Mark goes about those first few weeks of school making friends, working hard in his classes and showing what a great artist he is. He decides to enter an art contest and paints a loving portrait of his Grandpa Murray, as a surprise for his birthday. The other Mark continues to be obnoxious, humiliating the new Mark in Honors Math by announcing his poor grade to the class. The teacher then assigns him to be Mark's tutor. It is during these tutoring sessions that they begin to get to know one another. Mark lets the other Mark know that he is aiming to win the Mastermind Tournament, something his father won three years in a row when he was in middle school. When he discovers that there is a newly added teamwork portion to the Tournament, he realizes that Mark might be able to help him out because he has done a lot of team building in his other school. Their math tutoring sessions turn into something more mutual. A twist to the story occurs when Smart Mark finds out that there's an artistic element to the Tournament, and he decides to steal the Grandpa Murray painting and claim it as his. You begin to see that there are a lot of things going on to hold a reader's interest. I think that 4th, 5th and 6th graders will be riveted as the story unfolds. It's a very good read with characters that kids will recognize from their daily lives. There are a lot of things to discuss, making this a good classroom read. Questions like "what makes a good friend?" or "what kind of role models do each of the boys have at home?" will generate lots of discussion. Weissman has created a story where the characters come alive, so that you genuinely care about them after you've read the last page. I would love to read a book about the Mark Hoppers in seventh grade!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Trouble With Mark Hopper (Hardcover)
A delightful and very readable story about two boys who share a name and about learning to build on one another's strengths rather then resenting them.
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Trouble with Mark Hopper,
This review is from: The Trouble With Mark Hopper (Hardcover)
This book's key market is for mainly middle school boys: with that said I am neither a boy or in middle school. So I'm going to try to give my opinion based with this in mind.The storyline had a unique quality to it, maybe a bit unbelievable at times but it kept my interest. When you read this book you have to be paying attention, it's not one of those books you can quickly skim over. You have to keep paying attention to little details, if you don't you won't know what Mark Hopper you're reading about. Yes, you heard me right There are two characters with identical monikers and physical characteristics, to the point each one has a sister sharing the same name. That's what made this book confusing and unbelievable, but it kept me on my toes, so to speak. The difference comes in their personality traits and this is what fuels the plot and drives the storyline. The characters are a bit predictable at times but they're also well developed. I gave this book to my sister to read after I was finished and she agreed that the book was enjoyable also. All around I would recommend this book to old 7th or 8th grade middle school student because of the journey each character takes. I give it 3 stars.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
