The Boy With the Sweet-Treat Touch. (Race Ahead with Reading). Laura North. Illustrated by Neil Chapman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2015. 32 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $10.95 (pbk.), $21.56 (RLB.). ISBN 978-0-7787-1364-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1461-3 (RLB.), ISBN 978-1-4271-7782-7 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7770-4 (html). Subject Headings: Birthdays-Fiction. Wishes-Fiction. Magic-Fiction. Desserts-Fiction. Greed-Fiction. Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8. Review by Inderjit Deogun. *** /4

excerpt:

"I hate broccoli!" shouted Jack.

"I wish that I only had to eat treats. I wish that everything I touched could turn into a treat!" Jack grabbed his broccoli and threw it onto the table in a tantrum.

Before his parents could lecture him about being so greedy and badly behaved, something magical happened. ZAP! Suddenly his broccoli disappeared. In its place was a huge cream cake. It was covered in pink icing and raspberries. He quickly stuffed the creamy wonder into his mouth until it was all gone.

Tomorrow is Jack’s ninth birthday. As he watches his dad make a special cake, Jack grabs a huge slice and stuffs it in his mouth. Jack is immediately sent to his room where he comes upon a gold coin with the following words: “Touch me and your next wish will come true.” And, of course, Jack makes a wish: “I wish that everything I touched could turn into a treat!”

     Illustrated by Neil Chapman, The Boy with the Sweet-Treat Touch is a “Race Ahead with Reading” chapter book. Thirty-one pages in length, this chapter book is accompanied by illustrations that are not only bright but also fun. Though a few are over-the-top, they don’t take away from the story but match Jack’s personality perfectly.

      The Boy with the Sweet-Treat Touch teaches children to be careful what they wish for, a lesson author Laura North allows Jack to learn on his own. With a relatable plot, easy-to-handle vocabulary and discussion questions at the end, North has thought of everything.

Recommended.

Inderjit Deogun is a communications professional in Toronto, ON.

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