A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

( 15 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Hardcover
$13.93
BN.com price
$16.00 List Price (Save 13%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.15
$16.00 List Price (Save 99%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (41)  
Used (20)  
New (21)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 5
Showing 1 – 10 of 41 (5 pages)
$0.15
(Save 99%)
Goodwill Industries South Florida
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(146)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Acceptable
Used, might have slight wear but overall good condition

Ships from: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.25
(Save 98%)
Clickgoodwill
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(73)

Condition: Good
Very minimal damage to the cover no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks minimal wear binding majority of pages undamaged minimal creases or tears. Book may have writing, ... underlining, highlighting, wear to cover and corners, notes in margins, writing Read more Show Less

Ships from: Indianapolis, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 94%)
Goodwill Industries
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(86)

Condition: Acceptable
Acceptable Used, might have slight wear but overall good condition.

Ships from: Miami, FL

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 88%)
Silver Arch Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1295)

Condition: Good
Book has a small amount of wear visible on the binding, cover, pages. Selection as wide as the Mississippi.

Ships from: St Louis, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 88%)
Free State Books
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(1006)

Condition: Good
Dust Cover Missing. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear, and the pages have only minimal creases. Free State Books. Never settle for less.

Ships from: Halethorpe, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 88%)
GreenEarthBooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4876)

Condition: Good
Light shelving wear with minimal damage to cover and bindings. Pages show minor use. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read. Recycle and ... Reuse! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Portland, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 88%)
thriftbooks-com
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(5902)

Condition: Very Good
Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library ... book - will contain library markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Auburn, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.32
(Save 86%)
WNYBOOKS
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(34)

Condition: Good
2008 Hardcover Good in good dust jacket. DUST JACKET IS INCLUDED GOOD-Covers may show minor wear, binding may show very minor wear, possibly inscribed, gently used condition ... over all. We Love and Value Our Customers-WNYBOOKS Thanks You! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Buffalo, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.88
(Save 82%)
Best Bargain Books
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(12865)

Condition: Like New
Used Like New, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark.

Ships from: East Patchogue, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.89
(Save 82%)
Bookmax
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(92)

Condition: New
Hardcover New 0152060200.

Ships from: Chalfont, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 5
Showing 1 – 10 of 41 (5 pages)
Close
Sort by

Overview

When James and Eamon go to a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon's grandparents' house, it turns out that their free time spent staying inside, eating waffles, and playing video games is way more interesting than nature. But sometimes things work out best when they don't go exactly as planned.  

           In this moving and hilarious celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.

... See more details below
Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

When James and Eamon go to a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon's grandparents' house, it turns out that their free time spent staying inside, eating waffles, and playing video games is way more interesting than nature. But sometimes things work out best when they don't go exactly as planned.  

           In this moving and hilarious celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.

Editorial Reviews

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

* “Summer can seem a long time away during the colder portions of the year, and summer books can hold a special promise and poignancy in the long run-up until the months of freedom. Truly stellar summer books, such as Lynne Rae Perkins’ Pictures from Our Vacation can evoke the weirdness and unexpected magic of summer’s free-form experiences even in the darkest season. Add in some snarky and boisterous grade-school humor, and you’ve got A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. . . . This sweetly captures the pleasures of youthful time-wasting in the company of your best friend with a keen understanding that those pleasures are best when they’re unsentimental. The result is just realistic enough to be perfect, a grade-schooler’s idyllic summer with limited demands for learning and bettering and a whole lot of reveling in kid priorities. A wonderful late-winter reminder that summer is coming, this will cheer up audiences by encouraging them to reflect on glorious summers past and even more glorious summers to anticipate.” (starred review)

Elizabeth Ward
I can't think of another picture book since Peter Spiers's 1978 classic, Bored—Nothing to Do!, that gets inside small boys' heads more convincingly.
—The Washington Post
More Reviews (5) Fewer Reviews
Publishers Weekly

Frazee (Roller Coaster) salutes grandparents and slyly notes children's diversions in this breezy tale of "the best week ever." After Eamon enrolls in nature camp, he spends nights with his grandparents, Bill and Pam, at their beach cottage. Eamon's friend James joins the sleepover, and although the text describes James as "very sad" when his mother drives away, a cartoon shows him exuberantly waving "Bye!" Humorous contradictions arise between the hand-lettered account ("Bill handed them each a pair of binoculars and a list of birds to look for. On the way home, the boys reported their findings") and voice-bubble exchanges between the boys (Eamon, training the lenses on James: "His freckles are huge." James: "Yeah, and his tongue is gross"). Bill tries to interest the boys in a museum exhibit on penguins; the inseparable friends ("To save time, Bill began calling them Jamon") show no enthusiasm yet energetically build "penguins" from mussel shells. Frazee's narrative resembles a tongue-in-cheek travel journal, with plenty of enticing pencil and gouache illustrations of the characters knocking about the shoreline. Like The Hello Goodbye Window, Frazee's story celebrates casual extended-family affection, with a knowing wink at the friends' dismissal of their elders' best-laid plans. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Children's Literature
According to information on the book's cover flap, this story is based on real people and events. Two friends, Eamon and James, are going to spend a week of their summer vacation at a nature day camp. The boys will spend the week with Eamon's grandparents, Bill and Pam, who live at the beach. Bill dearly wants to visit Antarctica and see the penguins. He tries, without much success, to interest the boys in paying a visit to the local museum which is featuring a penguin exhibit. As the days pass, the boys become inseparable and Bill gives them a new name... Jamon. At every turn, they resist any suggestion for a visit to the Natural History Museum. But a wonderful surprise awaits Bill and Pam on the morning after the last day of camp. The boys have created "Antarctica" for Bill and Pam from the rocks, driftwood and shells they gathered from the beach. The brightly-colored gouache illustrations are cartoonlike and excellently match for the text. They successfully bring out the great humor of the adventure. Kids are sure to relate to Eamon and James and to the boys' relationship with the grandparents. Put this volume on the priority list, as it is sure to be very popular. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth
School Library Journal

PreS-K- James and Eamon spend a week at Eamon's grandparents' beach house. The boys go to nature camp during the day and delight Bill and Pam (the grandparents) at night with their antics. Bill makes an earnest attempt to interest the young boys in his own hobby-studying Antarctica and penguins. He wears a penguin shirt and brings out maps and globes, but it appears that James and Eamon are not listening. Frazee brings out the typical energy of a couple of boys who may scoff at nature and seem to prefer watching TV, but it is through her artful illustrations that readers catch glimpses of just how savvy and creative these kids can be. The youngsters' circular cartoon faces are distinguishable only because of their small tufts of hair-one curly, the other straight. Endpapers depict a humorous variety of drawn photos that could have been taken during the week. A penguin craft is explained on the final end flap. This intergenerational story will elicit howls of laughter and requests for repeated readings.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
James and Eamon spend a week with Bill and Pam, Eamon's grandparents, while they take in a week of nature camp-a week that turns out to be "the best week ever." A deadpan text narrates the events of the week, from the obligatory nature hikes and sleeping on an inflatable mattress downstairs to Bill's well-meaning attempts to engage them in wildlife study and Pam's great cooking. Frazee's hilarious round-headed cartoons romp across the page in snort-inducing counterpoint, abetted by the occasional speech balloon ("I think it should be called Sit-Around-Camp."). What emerges is a complete portrait of two thoroughly modern boys who watch TV, get messy, resist both nature and self-improvement-and still get won over by the spell of the great outdoors. The genius here is not that the boys finally get outside in the end; it's that their joy in being together is celebrated equally whether they're annihilating each other in a video game or building a replica of Antarctica on Bill and Pam's dock. As respectful of kid sensibilities and priorities as it's possible for an adult to achieve. (Picture book. 5-8)
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3—Light-hearted music sprinkled with hints of campfire songs opens Marla Frazee's humorous Caldecott Honor book (Harcourt, 2008) about two boys and their summer vacation experience. Narrators Fred Berman, Teddy Walsh, and Jasper Newell bring the characters to life as young Eamon is joined at his grandparents' beach house by his pal James. The boys embark on a week of "nature camp." Based on real people and events, the story is punctuated by comical contradictions where Frazee's wonderful pencil-and-gouache cartoon illustrations and text clearly represent opposing points of view. For example, James "arrives with just a couple of his belongings," while the illustration shows a boy surrounded by a multitude of boxes, toys, and luggage. As Eamon and James become more and more attached to each other, they are given the moniker "Jamon." Despite Grandpa Bill's repeated attempts at luring the boys to nearby penguin exhibits and outdoor adventures, they prefer to enjoy nature and visit the beach by gazing at the waves from an upstairs window. The narrator does an excellent job of punctuating Frazee's alliterative phrases ("Pam said she preferred people over penguins" and "people hugs over penguin huddles"), and the young male narrators wonderfully reflect the mood of the closing scene as James and Eamon excitedly show the grandparents their Antarctica creation. The book ends with simple directions on how to make a mussel shell penguin. A realistic intergenerational tale and a fun take on what it means to be a kid during summer vacation.—Cathie Bashaw Morton, Millbrook Central School District, NY

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780152060206
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 3/1/2008
  • Pages: 40
  • Sales rank: 136,694
  • Age range: 6 - 9 Years
  • Lexile: AD680L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 8.10 (w) x 10.10 (h) x 0.40 (d)

Meet the Author

Marla Frazee
Marla Frazee

MARLA FRAZEE has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including Hush, Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures, an ALA Notable Children's Book. Her picture book A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever received a Caldecott Honor in 2009. She lives with her family in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 15 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(8)

3 Star

(3)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by: Showing all of 15 Customer Reviews

  • Posted May 30, 2009

    Very entertaining

    It's the kind of book that gets kids' attention... It's very funny & entertaining... not so educational though...

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted May 1, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    A Couple of Boys

    Frazee, M. (2008). A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. New York: Harcourt, Inc.



    9780152060206



    During the summer, two boys (James and Eamon) spend the week with Eamon's grandparents while attending an outdoor day camp. While the boys are reluctant to enjoy some of the nature activities, they eventually find the perfect activity for them.



    This book was one of the Caldecott honor books for 2008. For me, the reason that this honor is deserved is because of the disconnect between the text and the illustrations which creates most of the irony and humor in the story.



    A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever captures a sense of childhood (and particularly boyhood) well.



    While the book could be used as a class read aloud, it'd probably be more effective as a small group or individual read aloud, so a teacher could take time with the book and point out the points where the text and illustrations are contrasted.





    Activities to do with the book:



    As a teacher, I would probably share this book with small groups of students before or after summer breaks and draw attention to the disagreement between the text and the illustrations and urge them to create their own stories and illustrations in response.



    A teacher could encourage students to consider and narrate and illustrate some of their own best weeks ever.



    Also since the book incorporates dialogue bubbles, a teacher could narrate the majority of the story, but have the students read the dialogue between the two boys.





    Favorite Quotes:



    "One hot summer day, James went on a long drive to Bill and Pam's house so he could go to a week of nature camp with his friend Eamon."



    "As the nature camp week went by, James and Eamon practically became one person. They did everything together in exactly the same way. To save time, Bill began calling them Jamon."



    "Then at last, James and Eamon finally got real busy with something.and it turned out to be the very best part of the best week ever."


    For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted April 28, 2009

    Very Cute

    My two boys enjoyed this book very much. They have a good time going over the illustrations of the characters in the book. They have a little trouble following the story bubbles but that was about it, but again they are only 5 & 7 years old. It was a very enjoyable book.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 20, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 23, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 27, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 8, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 25, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 14, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 24, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 28, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 4, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 4, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 20, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 15 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit