My Life of Crime (Gooney Bird) [Audiobook] [Hardcover]

When Gooney Bird Greene arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class unannounced, nobody knows quite what to make of her. Decked out in pajamas and cowboy boots, and holding her lunch with a dictionary, she immediately becomes the class's star pupil. For you see, Gooney Bird Greene was blessed with the gift of storytelling. By sheer coincidence, Mrs. Pidgeon is attempting to teach the class all about the different parts of a story. As the book progresses and Gooney Bird tells her "absolutely true" tales, the book carefully examines what it is that makes a story either good or bad. By the end, Gooney Bird has influenced all the students (and even Mrs. Pidgeon) to tell their own stories just as she has.

The book's top notch, really. Both children and their parents reading this book will be entranced by the notion of how Gooney Bird's outrageously titled tales really do turn out to be true in the end. The tale entitled, "How Gooney Bird Came from China on a Flying Carpet" turns out to be about how Gooney Bird and her family moved from their small town of China in their car, and how GB accidentally flew out of the car while in the center of the family's old rolled up carpet. The tale, "Why Gooney Bird Was Late for School Because She Was Directing a Symphony Orchestra" is about how she directed a bus full of musicians to the local town hall where they were to play. You get the idea. The only tale GB tells that strains at its wording is, "Beloved Catman Is Consumed by a Cow", though you'll have to read it yourself to see if you agree with me or not.

When I first read the description of this book, I was greatly afraid that this would be a younger person's version of Jerry Spinelli's "Stargirl". I thought (and was completely wrong) that the book was about a girl who's completely different from her classmates, they they all initially love her but then eventually despise her, and that she would befriend the trouble making kid and the shy and quiet kid in the course of her adventures. Wrong. Wrongdy wrong wrong. This book is, in fact, about a girl and the great awe inspiring talent of spinning a good yarn. Accompanying Ms. Lowry's adept words and motifs are the illustrations of Middy Thomas. These help to drill home the fact to kids of how very cool Gooney Bird really is. I highly recommend, by the way, that all you adults out there read the back inner flap of the book for the author/illustrator description. It's very amusing.

How rare to read a book that is intended for such a young audience but is still so well written. If you've a child that tells stories all the time and is the right age for this book (it's an early chapter book, so you can decide how well it fits them yourself) then I highly recommend that you go out and get this item immediately. Similarly, if you've any interest in all in teaching the kiddies about the parts and features of a good story, go and get yourself some "Gooney Bird Greene". I guarantee you that it exceeds and surpasses all expectations. And then some.