DeVillers, Julia Emma Emmets: Playground Matchmaker 240 pgs, Razorbill;
2014. $12.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G
When fourth grader Emma accidentally sets up two friends at summer
camp, everyone suggests that she is a natural matchmaker. She falls head first
into her new career, setting up other couples with success and deciding to
start a business. When she tries to set up Isla, a snobby and very popular girl
in her grade, with a sixth grader, it doesn't go well at all. Isla might ruin
her business before it even gets off the ground. Will Emma herself stay single,
her celebrity crush at the forefront of her mind, or will see finally see what’s
been right under her nose all along.
This author does a great job of building authentic characters
and creating realistic and fun banter and dialogue. I felt like I got to know a
majority of the many characters and the setting. However, this is just too much
romance for a fourth grade audience. This was like 240 LONG pages of obsessive
13 year old style romance crush madness. Each page of this long book was
torture to read, with its many love quizzes and setups. I would not add this to
my school library, and wish it was more of a middle school age character base. Additionally
the cover was unappealing and sure to be passed by.
EL –NOT RECOMMENDED Reviewer:
Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
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2 comments:
I felt the same we about this book, which was odd, since this author usually does a really good job of hitting her target demographic.
What a good writer, but oh my gosh, this is girls crush gone wild, not quite right for 4th graders. Ick.
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