Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One

September 1, 2008
K-Gr 3-Abigail (the Great One) and Jake (the Pain) are back. The theme for this book is traveling, whether it is as close as the local mall, showcasing the Pain's attempt to walk down the up escalator, or as far as the Florida Everglades, where the Great One tries to keep from being bitten by alligators by wearing her leather cowboy boots. An emergency room trip to get a pussy willow removed from the Pain's nose will make readers laugh out loud. The nine short stories beautifully capture the experiences of siblings who love one another but who don't always get along. Their long-suffering cat, Fluzzy, gets his own chapter at the end. Stevenson's drawings perfectly complement the tales. Blume has delivered another funny story collection about two memorable characters."Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Brother and sister Jake (the Pain) and Abigail (the Great One) narrate their adventures in alternating chapters. A beach vacation, a mall outing, and other happenings are all fodder for seven mostly freestanding stories with mild humor, suspense, misunderstandings, and acceptance; Fluzzy the cat gets the last word on the family's activities. Stevenson's loose-line drawings echo the light tone.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)