3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great mystery for lower elementary students - especially boys!, April 20, 2010
This review is from: Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Zapato Power is a chapter book. Each of the eight chapters contains about 8 pages of text interspersed with a good number of eye-catching illustrations.
Freddie Ramos is the main character. His mom has to work hard to pay the bills because his father died serving his country. His building super, Mr. Vaslov, lets Freddie spend time with him. Mr. Vaslov is the kind of gentleman a mother would want her son to model.
Even though Freddie's mom is struggling, she is moving up (they just moved to a new apartment building where the graffiti is cleaned off every day) & Freddie has family (Uncle Jorge) that stays in contact with him.
One day Freddie receives a box containing a snazzy pair of sneakers. With these sneakers Freddie's life changes in a very wonderful way. The sneakers give him the ability to move muy rapido due to the "Zapato Power" they contain.
The shoes are a mystery because of their power and because Freddy doesn't know who gave them to him. The Zapato Power makes Freddie feel special and gives him the incentive to use his powers to solve mysteries and help people out.
Because most boys dream of having special powers, this book is bound to become a favorite of the lower elementary school kids. I can see this being a book they read over and over and put under their pillow while they sleep. I am sure young girls will enjoy this book, but it will reach the heart of boys in a very special way because it is exciting and comforting at the same time.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun for young boys, May 2, 2010
This review is from: Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I read this to my five-year old and he really enjoyed it. The story is about Freddie and a mysterious package he receives. The package has special shoes that make Freddie lightning-fast. The shoes make him run fast enough to get forgotten lunches or library books for his friends at school and he is eager to use his new power to save the day. The mystery lies in who gave him the shoes and Freddie figures it out in the end.
This book has eight short chapters of text and illustrations. It's good for new readers as long as someone is near to help with the tougher words, or an experienced reader in first or second grade should have fun with it. The plot was very obvious to me, but my kindergartener did not know who gave Freddie the shoes until it was revealed at the end. He also liked the illustrations. They were well done to fit the tale. One thing I thought was odd, was the mention of Freddie's father. The subject comes up once or twice and then two sentences reveal that he was killed in the war. While the death of a parent is tragic and at times needs to be addressed, it didn't seem to fit in the story. I think it either should have been left out or developed more to show how Freddie has overcome the loss of his father. All it meant for us is that I had to close the book and explain what a funeral is. Overall my son enjoyed it though and he hopes that he can one day get super-powered shoes too.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cute but predictable, according to my kid, April 9, 2010
This review is from: Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (Hardcover)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
My 9-year-old son read this book and then told me what he thought about it. He said that liked the story and thought it had some funny parts. He liked the storyline about the shoes, but he felt like he knew what was going to happen the whole time. I asked him if he'd be interested in reading another book with Freddie in it and he said yes, so we're giving this one four stars. Any series he's willing to follow is a good thing. I will say that I thought the reading level was a little too easy for him in 3rd grade. I might suggest this for 1st and 2nd graders starting to read chapter books or to 3rd or 4th graders who are working on comprehension. For pleasure reading though, it's a good one for the boys and girls alike.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
