Mighty Monty

by Johanna Hurwitz, Anik McGrory (Illustrator)

Overview

Monty is mighty enough to take karate in a funny, true-to-life sequel with surefire appeal for early chapter-book readers. (Ages 5-7)

Monty Gerald Morris may be small and shy, but he's a mighty smart kid and an A+ reader. In an endearing follow-up to Mostly Monty, the quiet first-grader continues to come into his own -- playing the part of a tree in a comically miscued school play, sharing his enthusiasm for ants at an outdoor birthday party, even signing up for karate class despite his asthma. Once again, Johanna Hurwitz finds gentle humor in everyday situations and offers a charming portrayal of a likable character many young readers will relate to.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763667733
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/06/2013
Series:	Monty , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Johanna Hurwitz is the award-winning author of more than sixty books for children, including Mostly Monty and the Riverside Kids series. She lives in Great Neck, New York.

Anik Scannell McGrory is the illustrator of Mostly Monty, as well as several other books for children. She lives in Tarrytown, New York.

Johanna Hurwitz has been writing children’s books since she was eight years old. However, it took until she was thirty-eight for her first book to be published. Since then she has published regularly. “It’s not a contest to see who can write the most,” she insists. One of her favorite children’s authors is E. B.White, and Johanna’s parents read Stuart Little to her when she was very young. “He only wrote three children’s books but each is a gem. It would be wonderful if half a century from now children are still enjoying some of my books.”

Before she became a published author, Johanna got a master’s degree in library science and worked as a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library and at several other libraries. She is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren. Many of her stories grew out of experiences that she or family members actually had. In her book Mighty Monty, she describes Monty’s karate class. Her grandson, Ethan, and granddaughter Juliet have both taken karate lessons. Before long granddaghter Fiona will inspire some ideas too.

The biggest thing that most people don’t know about Johanna Hurwitz is that her parents met in a bookstore. No wonder she loves books so much. Other suprising details about Johanna are that she adores elephants and Babar is one of her very favorite story-book characters. Johanna enjoys traveling, and her goal is to speak in all fifty states. So far she has been to forty-four. If you live in Utah, Montana, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Idaho, or Delaware, she’d love to go there too. (Hint, hint)

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3

First-grader Montgomery Gerald Morris, hero of Mostly Monty (Candlewick, 2007), has returned. In this title, he inherits a large collection of old magazines from his neighbor (and must dispose of them), plays the part of a tree in the class play, attends a friend's birthday party, and joins a karate class. Monty, who is shy, smart, and responsible, faces situations that young readers are sure to identify with. He makes progress in overcoming typical fears, like performing in front of a crowd, by the end of the story. Though his asthma, which he struggled with in the first book, is mostly under control, it still plays a factor in many of his decisions, such as what sports he can play or which friends' houses he can visit. With a large font size and frequent illustrations, this title is ideal for new chapter-book readers, especially those who are fans of Hurwitz's previous books or who won't be put off by reading about a child who may be younger than themselves.-Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

School Library Journal

In an interconnected set of short stories, first-grader Monty Morris acquires a huge collection of old magazines, takes part in a class play, makes an outdoor birthday party special, begins karate lessons and successfully performs in an exhibition. Monty's worries about his asthma underlie all he does, and the effect of these stories is gently reassuring: He hasn't had an attack in some time and these new activities don't bring one on. He even performs in a karate uniform without a pocket for his inhaler. Hurwitz also recognizes and deals with the first grader's predictable stage fright. In the background, Monty's gentle and affectionate parents reflect the tone of this warm collection, just right for able first-grade readers like Monty. Soft pencil drawings by McGrory (most not seen) will be interspersed throughout. Readers of Mostly Monty (2007) will appreciate the boy's growing self-confidence (and, in particular, his father's encouragement as he tries new things), but this title stands on its own. (Fiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews