Martin Bridge Ready For Takeoff! Jessica Scott Kerrin. Illustrated by Joseph Kelly. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2005. 120 pp., pbk. & cl., $5.95 (pbk.), $16.95 (cl.). ISBN 1-55337-772-9 (pbk.), ISBN 1-55337-688-9 (cl.). Grades 2-4 / Ages 7-9. Review by Carole Reeve. **½/4

excerpt:

Martin continued to whistle as he walked down the hallway and into the family room. Phew! What an odd smell! Like gym lockers after soccer practice, only worse.

Inside the cage, Ginny lay on her back, dainty feet in the air.

"Morning, Ginny," called Martin.

He pulled out her food tray and tore the lettuce into hamster-sized bites.

"Rise and shine," he called, sounding like his dad. "Breakfast time, sleepyhead."

Ginny didn't budge.

"Not hungry?" he asked. He took a closer look at Ginny. He blinked. She did not blink back. A bone-numbing chill grew from deep in Martin's stomach and spread all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes.

Martin Bridge Ready For Takeoff! is the first book in a planned series about Martin Bridge, a young boy who is faced with many moral dilemmas. When Martin decides to decorate the school bus for Jenny, his new favourite driver, his plan backfires. Instead, Mrs. Phips, the "cranky-pants bus driver," comes back from her stay in the hospital and thinks the decorated bus is for her. In the end, Martin and his friends realize Mrs. Phips isn't so bad after all. In "Faster Blaster," Martin must decide whether or not he should tell a little girl her pet hamster has died, or do as his parents suggest and buy her a replacement hamster. In the last chapter, Martin gives his friend Alex a great idea for their model rocket competition, and then wishes he hadn't when everyone admires Alex's rocket.

     These three illustrated stories deal with kindness, honesty, jealousy, and friendship and are told with humour in an easy to read format. They are well written, but some readers may be turned off by the not so subtle lessons presented in each story. Kelly's charcoal drawings are a nice addition to the text, showing Martin's ever-changing moods.

Recommended.

Carole Reeve is the Assistant Branch Head at the Osborne Library in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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