Sophie Simon Solves Them All

by Lisa Graff, Jason Beene (Illustrator)

Overview

For a third-grader, Sophie Simon is one smart cookie. She enjoys teaching herself advanced calculus and has performed successful heart surgery on an earthworm. She's also very clever when it comes to dealing with her clueless parents. But Sophie is no genius when it comes to calculating the high value of friendship—until, that is, she has to use her incredible IQ to help out some classmates with their own parental troubles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250028983
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	09/18/2012
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Lisa Graff grew up in Big Bear, California, and now lives in New York, New York. She received an MFA in writing for children from the New School in New York City. She is the author of Sophie Simon Solves Them All.

Jason Beene lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the illustrator of Sophie Simon Solves Them All, The Wednesdays, Seagulls Don’t Eat Pickles, and Operation Fireball.

Editorial Reviews

"This reading romp has plenty of kid appeal.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sophisticated touches in the vocabulary…make the book particularly suited to young Sophie-type overachievers looking for a quick read, but kids of all stripes will recognize the frustration of dealing with parents who think you're someone you're not and admire the quick shuffle that gets all the beleaguered youngsters what they want.” —BCCB

“Lively and humorous…The reading level is perfect for those who have already transitioned to easy chapter books but want a higher vocabulary and plot complexity.” —School Library Journal

“A fresh, funny chapter book for young readers.” —Booklist

“Sophie's serious tone amidst all the drama makes this an unexpected page-turner-…a delightful read-aloud as well.” —Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

Gr 3–4—Sophie Simon is the smartest girl in third grade, and perhaps in the world. Her parents are worried because she refuses to make friends at school—she would rather have her nose in a book. She is fascinated by calculus and would do anything to own a graphing calculator. After being caught reading Principles of Civil Disobedience during math, her teacher, Mr. St. Cupid, asks her about the book in front of the class. From this point on, Sophie's classmates look to her for advice. Sophie's problem is not having the calculator, so she asks them to pay her to solve their problems. She agrees to assist Daisy with a sit-in during a ballet recital she doesn't want to participate in, gets Julia a newspaper assignment so she won't have to drop out of the journalism club, and helps Owen to get a pet by using reverse psychology on his mom. Through a series of lively and humorous events, Sophie ends up with something she hadn't counted on—friends. The reading level is perfect for those who have already transitioned to easy chapter books but want a higher vocabulary and plot complexity. The story concludes with "Sophie Simon's Encyclopedia of Things She Can't Believe You Don't Know Already," which is a glossary of terms and phrases used in the book. Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout.—Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

Wishes come true when third-grade genius Sophie Simon applies her intellectual skills to her classmates' problems with their parents' expectations and solves a problem of her own. Sophie wants a graphing calculator, Owen Luu wants a rabbit, Julia McGreevy wants to be a journalist and Daisy Pete (and everyone else in her ballet class) wants to avoid the ballet recital. Sophie's parents just want her to be a normal kid, with friends. Everyone ends up happy in this middle-grade spoof. Exaggerations abound: Their teacher's long list of rules includes "No thinking," the ballet teacher threatens to chop off toes and Sophie's parents are distraught that she has visited the library. Sophie is brilliant, reading a calculus text for fun. Daisy is clumsy, Julia math-averse and Owen frightened of nearly everything. A ring-tailed lemur wreaks havoc at Owen's birthday, and the ballet recital becomes a sit-in. An "encyclopedia" at the end explains allusions, and there's a recipe for saltwater taffy. This reading romp has plenty of kid appeal. Final art not seen. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews