Dodger for President (Dodger and Me) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Look, if I'm going to tell you everything that happened with Lizzie and me and the fifth-grade election, you have to promise you won't tell..." (more)
Key Phrases: skater walk, James Beeks, Willie Ryan, Great Lasorda (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—This sequel to Dodger and Me (Feiwel and Friends, 2008) continues the adventures of Willie Ryan and his invisible friend, Dodger, a blue chimp with magical powers. While attending school disguised as Willie (with the help of a magic potion), Dodger agrees to run for fifth-grade class president with Willie's friend Lizzie as running mate. Willie thinks the election is a lost cause, since their opponents are "popular kid" James and "scary tough kid" Craig, but his friends encourage him to stick with it. His little sister Amy (whose suspicious nature is sometimes annoying and sometimes surprisingly helpful) rounds out the cast. Told in the first-person colloquial, leavened with ironic silliness and mild gross-out humor, the narrative will be familiar to readers of James Proimos and Jeff Kinney. There's also a bit of depth, especially when the less sympathetic characters show more complexity than most grade-school villains. But some of the humor is a bit forced and kids who have not read the earlier book will definitely be in the dark about Dodger and his magic. Purchase where the first title has a following.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
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From Booklist

Picking up where Dodger and Me (2008) left off, Sonnenblick continues the story of friends Willie and Lizzie and the magical blue chimp, Dodger, that only they can see. The formula is much the same—dorky kid helped out by invisible ally—but here it’s applied to a school election that has Willie and Lizzie facing off against a superpopular jock and his tough-guy sidekick. And again, Dodger spends most of the book bouncing off the walls, espousing zany schemes that mostly serve to hamstring the kids’ campaign. While the broad humor generally reaches for lower-hanging fruit, the outlandish tone should please Dodger’s fans. Grades 4-6. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312377940
• ISBN-13: 978-0312377946
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #382,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 21, 2009

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

DODGER FOR PRESIDENT is the entertaining sequel to DODGER AND ME.

Willie, Lizzie, Dodger, and Willie's new and improved parents continue their antics in this chapter of the story. The problems start when Dodger goes to school disguised as Willie while Willie is on a trip with his father. When Willie comes home, he finds out that Dodger has caused all kinds of problems, not the least of which is getting him nominated for class president.

Willie, of course, immediately decides that he cannot compete in this election. He changes his mind, however, because James, one of the most popular boys in class and his competition, makes a nasty comment about Lizzie. After confirming his nomination, the game begins.

Campaign posters appearing for James and his running mate make both Willie and Lizzie look like complete geeks, so Dodger strikes back with his own set of posters - but Dodger's camera, like Dodger, is blue. It only takes blue pictures. Fortunately, Lizzie is smart enough to turn this to their advantage. The hilarity continues as Dodger pulls in brother Rodger to help write speeches, gives Willie an X-shaped bruise in the middle of his forehead, and provides much sage advice to the candidates.

Meanwhile, Willie's little sister, Amy, has become a Sherlock Holmes clone. Her constant interruptions as she searches for clues about nothing in particular provide a humorous side plot.

As the competition progresses, the idea that friends are more important than image is reinforced. Willie also learns that popularity does not mean that either James or Craig has everything they want or need. The value of his own loving, stable family is reinforced as he overhears the boys talking about why they need to win.

Like the first book in the series, DODGER FOR PRESIDENT is definitely worth reading!

Reviewed by: Theresa L. Stowell