The Worst Goes South [Hardcover]

James Stevenson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Everyone is getting ready to celebrate the Harvest Festival, except the worst person in the world. He is getting ready to leave town. At the end of a bumpy dirt road in Florida, he come at last to a dismal motel where no one has stayed in more than 40 years. It soon becomes obvious that the innkeeper and the worst have much in common. Full-color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Mr. Worst is back again in all his grumpy glory. Fall has come, and with it the town's Harvest Festival that is to take place in the empty lot next to his house. He is coerced into providing his yard for parking. As the preparations for the festival begin, he decides he cannot take the noise, so he heads for Florida. He comes across a remote motel that appears to be rarely occupied, and the irritable owner rents him a room for the night. The following morning, the inn-keeper and the worst discover that they have a lot in common?in fact, they are brothers. Once again, Stevenson's dry wit and watercolor-and-pen cartoon sketches pair up to make a winner.?Beth Irish, Orange Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. Stevenson fans will cheer the return of that comic curmudgeon, the worst. His latest misadventure begins when he's caught dumping trash in a public field. Faced with a $500 fine, he grudgingly agrees to let the town use his property for its Harvest Festival. Soon the antisocial grouch is overrun with polka bands, hog callers, and an intolerable spirit of fun. He jumps into his '59 Edsel and heads for the Florida swamps, where he meets his match in a misanthrope who turns out to be his long-lost brother. The worst returns home feeling strangely more sociable and even sends a painted coconut to the festival craft show. The tale's pattern will be familiar to Stevenson's following, but that in no way detracts from the fun. The pen-and-watercolor drawings are as energetically droll as ever,. Leone McDermott

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow; 1st edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688130593
• ISBN-13: 978-0688130596
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loveable Curmudgeon, November 27, 2001

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Worst Goes South (Hardcover)

Another winner in the "Worst" series, James Stevenson's hilarious tales of the cranky anti-Pollyanna known as "The Worst." The humor is suitable for ages 3 to 11 or so; he's one of those authors who can write to many levels (including adults). Leaving town because of a Harvest Festival next to his house, the Worst hops into his 1959 Edsel to get away it all:

"The polka band was rehearsing: When they paused, the worst stepped forward.
`Do you take requests?' said the worst.
`What would you like to hear?' said the leader.
"Total silence!' said the worst.
`I don't believe we know that one..."

After begrudgingly paying a quarter at a $2.50 toll booth ("that's an outrage"), the worst "arrives a few days later in Florida....palm trees swayed in the wind, people splashed in the surf...'I don't know how anybody can stand this place'", said the worst.

He takes the worst possible hotel ("Worstmor"; which is probably also the cheapest), and amongst the frogs and bats, the broken door, and the dirty pool, he finds someone almost as cranky as he is-A long lost relative: "Well, don't expect any special rates...just because you're a relative." As usual, the worst softens a little upon his return home, and even donates a little something to the crafts booth.

It's unfortunate that so many of Stevenson's books are out of print or difficult to find. His sly humor is accompanied by superb ink and watercolor drawings that the Worst probably wouldn't like: They're colorful and slightly whimsical. Check out some other books by the prolific Stevenson, you'll find much to love. 30 pages, with at least one drawing on each page.