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PRODUCT
Emma McKenna, Full Out (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class #1)
Product Description:
Price:
$6.99
Detailed description:
From a New York Times bestselling author, cheerleader Emma McKenna is thrilled for her first day at a new school–but when her former best friend (now her enemy) shows up in class, Emma’s quest to start over socially may take a tumble.
Emma McKenna can’t wait for third grade at the brand-new Curiosity Academy. She’ll have a cool teacher who wears high-tops and science earrings. She’ll meet interesting classmates from all over Peppermint Falls. Best of all, she’ll get a fresh start after last year’s talent-show disaster left her with that awful nickname. It’s going to be the best year ever!
Then Lucy walks into Mrs. Z’s room.
Lucy, Emma’s best-friend-turned-enemy.
Lucy, who gave Emma that nickname and spread it all over school!
Emma’s fresh start is doomed . . . unless she can make friends before Lucy ruins everything.
So Emma sets out to be pals with everyone, just like her favorite animal, the capybara. As her classmates argue over the choice of a new school mascot, Emma stays quiet and doesn’t pick sides. (The last thing she needs is another enemy.) But maybe speaking up could be the thing that helps her really connect with her class—and saves her at last from third-grade doom.
Both sweetly poignant in its attention to kids’ worries and friendships and laugh-out-loud funny in its storytelling, with black-and-white illustrations throughout by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Emma McKenna, Full Out is the perfect launch for the exciting new Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class chapter-book series.
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Product group:
Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
Emma McKenna, Full Out (The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class #1)
Price:
$6.99
Irene Ringworm –
Emma McKenna, Full Out is a simple, grounded story for grade schoolers about typical issues and feelings that grade schoolers experience. No one in the book has special powers or divine ancestry or a time machine – they’re just kids going through normal kid things.
The book opens with Emma deciding what to wear. It’s her first day at a new school and she wants to come across as an Interesting Person. Her first day turns sour when Lucy arrives. Lucy knows an embarrassing secret about Emma from her previous school – the rest of the book is (mostly) about Emma dealing with very real anxiety about her secret being revealed.
Feelings are dealt with meaningfully and realistically, without melodrama. Lucy isn’t portrayed as a villain to defeat or even as particularly unpleasant. She doesn’t even really do much in the book except be there to remind Emma that someone knows her secret. The drama is almost entirely in Emma’s mind, as she deals with very natural and very real worry about her secret coming to light.
This first book has the unenviable task of introducing all of the students in Mrs. Zamora’s class, which is done efficiently but can feel forced or awkward. At times it felt like like a tick-the-box exercise to showcase students of varied backgrounds, until I understood the series’ grand plan. Each child in the class will get their own book, each written by a different author. Different children will experience the classroom differently, and yet still manage to get along and find common ground. The diversity of background and experience isn’t window dressing – it’s fundamental to the series’ structure and conceit.
And I look forward to future books in this series. Even though I’m well past my grade school years this book felt like real feelings I felt in grade school. Here’s hoping the other authors are up to the task.
MomTo2Boys –
This book is structurally sound for intended target age of early elementary school, the message about friendship is a bit bogged down by repetitive statements from our main character “Emma McKenna” regarding wanting others to like her or view her as interesting which as a parent and social worker had me a bit concerned about someone at such a young age (3rd grade) being so hyper focused on how other’s viewed them or wanting to be special. In the end the character Emma seems to realize that being who they are is enough which I can appreciate. The ending also seems a bit rushed, was kind of expecting more story but alas was at the author, illustration and pitch for book 2.
ROCDAD –
My eight year old reads books like it’s a 100 meter sprint competition, and going into third grade is deep in chapter books. I’m constantly on the hunt for a new series he might like, and decided to see if he would like “Emma McKenna, Full Out”.
Imagine my surprise and laughter when the book came, and he says “Oh! I know this author! I really like her books, I have a different one signed by her.” Turns out that Miss Messner presented at his school last year and he managed to get her to sign a copy of one of her other books.
This book does a really great job of telling and representing the kinds of concerns that grade school kids have, and doing it in a fun way. It makes my son feel like his feelings and emotions are valid, and that he’s not the only one who has them, or is going through similar situations. It’s also hilariously funny in many parts, which is always a sure fire way to keep a kid interested in a story!
This is a wonderful bedtime read along, as a parent, and we’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the books in this series.
Twc –
This is the first book in a series about kids in a Third grade class. Each book is written by a different author which I think is a brilliant idea! This is the second book I have read from this series (I did not read them in order since this is book #1). And I love this book as much as I did the first one!
This is a fun book, written towards 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students. Age appropriate vocabulary and the chapter length is not too long, making it a great read aloud, class read or a book for a child to enjoy. The topic is one many kids can relate to, starting a new school and the challenges of making friends, trying too hard to fit in and then a twist to the story (which I will let you read about!). The book sends a nice message and shows the main character getting into and out of situations and ways to make good choices. It is very well written, easy to follow and kept my attention from the very beginning.
I like this book and I am looking forward to the release of others in the near future! I highly recommend this book and it would be a great book for the classroom.
⭐️ 1 star – I don’t recommend it at all.
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars – I don’t recommend it, poorly written or bad information.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars – Good Book. Not for me. Not the most well written.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars – Very good book quite, I would recommend and well written.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars – Book that I totally recommend and could not put down. Well written and a book I would read again
Jonny Gadgets –
My daughter is 8 and on her way to third grade next year – just like Emma McKenna. My daughter does tend to be a picky reader, though; she’s got great reading ability but wants engaging relevant stories with some pictures to keep her interest, and she’ll reject a good half the books I try to pick out at the library for her. Good news here though: last night I had to pry this book out of her hands at bedtime; she has just kept going with it. With an engaging storyline about a kid exactly her age, and a positive message speaking to the social anxieties of growing up and fitting in, I think it’s a winner.
I’ll be looking out for the rest of the Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class series next!