Ben Draws Trouble

K-Gr 3—The hero of Ben Rides On (Roaring Brook, 2013) is back, and though he still rides his beloved bicycle, it turns out that his other passion is drawing. Ben constantly doodles in his special sketchbook, even in math class. His interests are typical for most third graders—dinosaurs, monsters, motorcycles, dragons, and spaceships—he especially enjoys sketching his teachers and fellow students. Inevitably, Ben loses the sketchbook, and his classmates get their hands on it. Fortunately for Ben, his teacher recognizes Ben's talent, and in a neat little plot twist, asks for his help making sets for the school play instead of taking him to the principal's office. Davies's signature cartoon style is as hilarious as ever, though it does make figuring out whether Ben's own drawings are realistic or caricature somewhat challenging. This wonderful follow-up will especially appeal to young artists and fans of Ben's previous adventure, but it's a fun choice for everyone.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY