Mind If I Read Your Mind?

Gr 4–6—When 11-year-old Billy Broccoli and his blended family move to a new home, he finds that he must share his bedroom with Hoover Porterhouse III, a 14-year-old ghost who has been dead for 99 years. The Hoove is stuck with Billy until he can prove to the almighty "Higher Ups" that he can be helpful and caring. He's cocky and self-assured, while Billy is insecure and shy. At middle school, Hoove tries to show him some smooth moves by steering him away from wearing panda bear T-shirts and advising him on how to compliment girls. When Billy learns that he must take part in SOC, the Speak Out Challenge, he is a nervous wreck. The theme for everyone's talk is, "Demonstrate Something Special You Can Do." Billy wracks his brain but can't come up with anything better than reciting the alphabet backwards. The Hoove, knowing that this will be a major social blunder, comes up with a better idea: mind reading, with a little behind-the-scenes help from the snoopy ghost. At first, Billy feels guilty about his fake talent, but he starts enjoying himself when it leads to newfound popularity. Winkler and Oliver pepper the story with nonstop humor: Billy's stepfather, who is a dentist, thinks he should demonstrate flossing for his talk, entitled "Floss-O-Rama." Some of the funny parts tend to be overly explained-the jokes might be more effective without so much exposition. The ending winds up endearingly, with both ghost and boy learning what it means to be a caring, thoughtful friend.Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA