I liked this chapter book for several reasons. The first reason is because of the plot. The story was about a young girl named Beany, who had trouble when her best friend Carol Ann, made a new friend named Stacy, and was stuck working on the science fair project with the mean boy in her class named Kevin. Beany wrote her teacher a note after Kevin became her partner, "Dear Ms. Babbitt, I do not want Kevin for a partner. He thinks I have cooties. He wants to do a booger project. Thank you. Beany" Here you can see how Beany felt when she was partnered with Kevin. A feeling similar to what many children may have when they get partnered with someone they might not like in school. The second reason I liked this book was because of the believable characters. The problem Beany experiences with her friend Carol Ann is certainly something that could happen in real life. "I couldn't believe my ears. Carol Ann had invited Stacy without even asking me if I wanted her to come." From this quote you can feel the jealousy that Beany has toward Stacy about her best friend Carol Ann. The last reason I liked this book was because of the descriptive language used. A great example was when Beany threw the ball for Kevin's dog Astro, "'He tossed it to me. "Yuck" I said. It was sopping wet with Astro's spit."' Sopping is a great descriptor in the context of the setting. All in all I feel that the 'big idea' of this book was to learn to work well with others, including the people you might not like. In the end, you may win first prize like Kevin and Beany did! ( )