Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with ALEXANDER, WHO'S NOT (DO YOU HEAR ME? I MEAN IT!) GOING TO MOVE and ALEXANDER, WHO USED TO BE RICH LAST SUNDAY.] -- Everyone loves the cranky, downtrodden, belligerent, and lovable Alexander. We've read and re-read Viorst's three picture books about him over the years. But no reader has experienced Alexander quite like this! Johnny Heller's whiny, often-wise grammar school hero is sufficiently self-righteous to elicit sympathy from kids and knowing smiles from adults. He never gets a seat by the window, he complains. And he only punches his brothers when they deserve it, he explains. His mother never puts interesting desserts in his lunch, he moans. And his money never lasts because saving money is too hard, he groans. He won't move, he threatens. He won't pack, he wails. He won't have any friends if he goes, he sobs. Sniffling and fussing, Heller's Alexander holds up a mirror for us all--and we laugh at our own reflections. T.B.

Few authors empathize with elementary-aged kids with the humor and insight of Judith Viorst. In this collection of stories and poems, the angst of Alexander's money blues and never-go-right days, the steadfastness of friendship, the profound loss and family caring when a pet dies, and the power of poetry to explore this emotional range make a fine listening package. Blythe Danner whines (with a New York twang) at disappointment and injustice, worries when a mother's words prove untrue, and gently reflects the initial sadness of death. Her vocal repertoire of emotions is as broad as Viorst's. In the selected poems, especially, the wide range of the characters' feelings shines through. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine