PDF How Lamar Bad Prank Won a BubbaSized Trophy Crystal Allen 9780061992735 Books

Product details Age Range 8 - 12 years Grade Level 3 - 7 Lexile Measure 550 (What's this?) Paperback 304 pages Publisher Balzer + Bray (August 14, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 0061992739

How Lamar Bad Prank Won a BubbaSized Trophy Crystal Allen 9780061992735 Books Reviews

• Instinct told me to pre-order this book. Crystal Allen has written a winner. If you loved Alexie's "Absolutely True Diary..." you will love Lamar and his growing pains. Much better than the wimpy kid books. I laughed so hard I couldn't sleep until I'd read it all. Lent it to a friend who had to fly cross-country to a funeral and she's going to buy her own. Excellent read for Middle Schoolers. A must read for everyone. I'll never think of peanuts OR bowling the same! The first two reviewers summed it up perfectly, I just have to 1) beg Ms. Allen to write more and 2) spread the word that this book is a WINNER.
• Truly enjoy Mrs. Allen writing style. She has a gift for story telling that will engage those who read her books back during a period in time when children would read in the grass in their backyards on a nice day!!!
• This book was engaging and the main character has a unique voice. Fun to read. I would recommend it for boys especially.
• fabulous book- I would recommend it for all ages!
• Excellent lessons learned for age group. Very much enjoyed characters. Would highly recommend it for 12 - 14, but is a great read for any age.
• Required reading for my daughter's 7th grade English class. Maybe if not a required read, a 5 rating would have been given by her.
• This is a kind of feel-good story about a young boy who's an enthusiastic bowler and learns important lessons about life, carefully choosing the company he keeps, and staying true to his friends, his family and himself one summer. A lot of tween- and teen-directed books have a sports theme, but I'd never read one about bowling before, and it made for a nice change. Unable to participate in other sports because of severe asthma, Lamar is a very talented bowler, but his longing to be "cool" and desire for expensive bowling gear has him ditching his best friend and hustling with the town troublemaker for money. Meanwhile, he's navigating the tricky territory of his first romance, and fighting constantly with his older brother, who struggles with anger management issues. Lamar's thuggish new "friend" talks him into pulling a nasty "prank" to get back at his brother, he finds himself in big trouble and unsure if he'll be able to fix the mess he's made.
  
  I think young 9-to-12s would enjoy this book, particularly those who enjoy bowling.
• I can't express how much I LOVE How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy. The voice is unique and fun and touching all at once.
  
  It reminded me of Christopher Paul Curtis' book, Bucking the Sarge, which I loved.
  
  I dare you to read this book and not fall in love with Lamar and feel deeply for his struggles. He's a great kid, who tries to do the right thing, but, well, you know.
  
  This book is so full of funny. The scene with the peanuts had me laughing so hard I cried. And a few other scenes had me crying.
  
  I also love how the book is about Lamar's love for bowling (so original), but it's about so much more.
  
  Crystal Allen had me at . . . "Since Saturday, I've fried Sergio like catfish, mashed him like potatoes, and creamed his corn in ten straight games of bowling."
  
  And this description of a man's head "Dr. Avery resembles a black Albert Einstein, except his nappy gray afro reminds me of a sheep's butt. And his fro has a hole in the middle where he's going bald. If he had a flag on top of his head, you could practice golf putts."
  
  When Crystal Allen's next book comes out, I'll be first in line to buy a copy.