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Summary
Summary
Do not panic.
Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them has taught Roxie Warbler how to handle all sorts of situations. If Roxie's ever lost in the desert, or buried in an avalanche, or caught in a dust storm, she knows just what to do. But Lord Thistlebottom has no advice to help Roxie deal with Helvetia's Hooligans, the meanest band of bullies in school.
Then Roxie finds herself stranded on a deserted island with not only the Hooligans but also a pair of crooks on the lam, and her survival skills may just save the day -- and turn the Hooligans into surprising allies.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. As Naylor's (Shiloh) sprightly caper opens, Roxie Warbler and her parents receive a prestigious visitor: her Uncle Dangerfoot. The man has traveled the world with the renowned adventurer and author of Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them. Nine-year-old Roxie has almost memorized its contents, which describe perilous scenarios and (after repeating the admonition, "Do not panic!") provide helpful survival tips. The heroine wishes she could be as brave as Lord Thistlebottom; the thing that frightens her most: Public School #37, "where Helvetia's Hooligans seemed to have chosen Roxie to be their Victim of the Year." Those four classmates tease Roxie mercilessly about her oversize ears. One day, as she tries to dodge the gravel they are throwing at her ("Do not panic, she remembered. To avoid gunfire, run in a zigzag line"), Roxie tumbles into a dumpster--as do the bullies. The story takes a wacky turn when the dumpster winds up on a flatbed truck, which unloads its contents onto a barge that dumps the refuse--and the kids--mid-ocean. By repeatedly recalling Thistlebottom's wryly stated counsel, putting her ears to good use, and never panicking, Roxie ensures a dramatic rescue. Boiger's (While Mama Had a Quick Little Chat) humorous caricatures of the bad guys, combined with Naylor's snappy writing, tongue-in-cheek humor and resourceful, endearingly earnest heroine will keep readers highly entertained. Ages 7-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Nine-year-old Roxie is comfortably ordinary, in dramatic contrast to the bravery of her explorer uncle Dangerfoot, who has swashbuckled his way around the world. The only adventure in Roxie's life is the daily necessity of avoiding Helvetia's Hooligans, who have lighted on newcomer Roxie, with her exceptionally big ears, as the perfect bullying target. When, however, a particularly athletic attempt to escape the hooligans lands both Roxie and her tormentors in a load of garbage headed out to sea, she must rise to the occasion. This she does with the aid of Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them, which she had memorized in quieter times. Between her remarkable ears and Lord Thistlebottom's ever-helpful advice -- ""do not panic"" -- Roxie manages to thwart the desperadoes who are hiding out on the island she and the hooligans land on, prove her worth to the hooligans, and get them all back home, where her tale of adventure rivals any Uncle Dangerfoot can tell. This transitional chapter book has exactly the right sense of humor and pacing to suspend readers' disbelief as the characters' situation spirals into absurdity. Roxie is a thoroughly agreeable heroine, whose triumph over her goofily inept adversaries will have armchair adventurers cheering all the way. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. Nine-year-old Roxie Warbler wishes she were brave like Uncle Dangerfoot and his adventurous colleague, Lord Thistlebottom, whose book, Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them0 , she has practically memorized. Instead, she is afraid of many things, especially Helvetia's Hooligans, school bullies who harass her. After a playground confrontation spills over into fantasy and the kids find themselves on a deserted island facing hunger, thirst, and robbers on the lam, Roxie creatively applies Lord Thistlebottom's advice to help her survive, increase her confidence, and change the Hooligans from foes to friends. Part adventure, part comedy, part sympathetic portrayal of coping with bullying, Naylor's latest, written in droll, slightly formal prose, mixes fantasy, absurdity, and reality in a way that never diminishes or overwhelms the story's heart. Boiger's black-and-white illustrations catch the energy of Naylor's over-the-top yet sympathetically portrayed characters. --Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright 2006 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-In this beginning chapter book, nine-year-old Roxie Warbler knows just what to do if she finds herself buried in an avalanche, but she doesn't know what to do about Helvetia's Hooligans. The gang at Public School Number Thirty-Seven has chosen her to be Victim of the Year, thanks to her ears, which stick straight out. The Hooligans chase Roxie into the Dumpster, fall into it themselves, and everyone is soon spilled onto a barge being pulled out to sea. The children end up stranded on an island with a couple of nasty thieves. With only the survival tips Roxie remembers from Uncle Dangerfoot's stories of his fantastical adventures with famous thrill-seeker and author Lord Thistlebottom to help her, Roxie finds herself leading the four hungry, thirsty, and scared bullies to safety. Full-page pencil illustrations perfectly complement this clever story that will leave readers cheering for Roxie as she proves to be as successful an adventurer as her famous uncle.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Nine-year-old Roxie Warbler knows a lot about dangers and pitfalls and how to overcome them; she is the niece of Uncle Dangerfoot, the sidekick of Lord Thistlebottom, the world-famous adventurer and author. But, though she has memorized the survival tips, she is a fearful little girl, afraid of thunder and lightning, floods and tornadoes and the gang of mean kids at school. Helvetia's Hooligans are merciless in their assessment of Roxanne's oversized ears. When Roxie ends up in a dumpster on her way out to sea with the Hooligans, she has to dig deep into her bag of survival tricks. In this genial melodrama, young readers will cheer for Roxie as she learns, above all, not to panic. With the help of her kind and attentive friend Norman, Roxie saves the day, makes friends with the Hooligans and captures the bank robbers! Uncle Dangerfoot and Lord Thistlebottom could not be prouder. Three cheers--and some gingersnaps and lemonade--for Roxie, the girl who does not panic. Jolly fun. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.