Zigzag Zoom by Patricia Reilly Giff -- OPTIONAL

Giff, Patricia Reilly Zigzag Zoom, illustrated by Alasdair Bright, 64 pgs. Wendy Lamb Books, 2013. $12.99. Content: G

When Gina sees a poster saying Help! in the hallway as she's headed to her after-school group, she sprints off to see who needs saving. It turns out that no one is injured; instead, their program has been challenged to race another program, and they need ideas on how to earn the bus money to attend the race. Because someone witnessed Gina's earlier sprint and told the entire group about it, everyone is now convinced that she is the fastest runner -- and their only hope. The pressure's on. Too bad Gina doesn't even like to run and is actually, in her words, as slow as a turtle.

Children who are already fans of the Zigzag series might enjoy this one. The focus on after-school programs is a wonderful choice and is ripe for exploration. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are clever as well; they show the decline of Gina's brand new white sneakers as she runs, plays, and works in them. Unfortunately, there were simply too many plot holes to overlook. For example, the poster that said Help! was never adequately explained. Why such a cryptic message? And why would a simple poster make Gina panic and go running off? Why would all the teachers and students in the program become convinced that Gina was the best runner simply because one girl saw her run pretty fast one time? Why would Gina work so hard to help the school earn the money to go to the race -- including spending her life savings on pretzels and suggesting fundraising ideas -- when she dreads the very thought of running? Why would a school program that is trying to raise money sell homemade cookies and pretzels for only five cents each? What happens to the scant money the program did raise when the students end up having to walk instead?  How is it possible for Gina to constantly wander away from her after-school program because she doesn't feel like practicing running? Is there no supervision at all? What about the other students? Wouldn't they see? And, finally, how is an emerging reader going to keep track of that many different characters?