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Good For You, Mikey Mite! (Originally published as "Le redoutable Marcus la puce.")
Gilles Gauthier. Illustrated by Pierre-André Derome.
Grades 4 - 7 / Ages 9 - 12. ** /4
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excerpt:
Mr. Lotecki is a man of few words. When he does speak, he says exactly what he means without beating around the bush. My parents are used to listening to great intellectuals. Some of the people who come to our house for dinner can come up with sentences a yard long. But somehow Mr. Lotecki managed to convince them. . . .This story, translated from the French original, concerns the difficulties of Mikey Mite, who gets into trouble at school. Mikey's rebellious actions result from living with an alcoholic father. One student, Jenny, attempts to befriend Mikey, but her parents tell her to stay away from him. To the rescue comes the school janitor, Mr. Lotecki, who gets to the root of Mikey's problems - his alcoholic father.
My parents have finally realized that it is possible for someone to quit drinking for good. They also seem to understand now that Mikey is not a little terror.
This is a small, light paperback book, with cartoon-like illustrations. The type is very large, supposedly to encourage reluctant readers, but the subject matter may be disturbing for young children generally. For children who live with the problem of alcoholism in their homes, however, the book may provide some help and consolation.
Recommended with reservations.
Joan Payzant is a retired teacher-librarian living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © 1997 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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