Welcome to Silver Street Farm

Gr 2–3—As preschoolers, three children decided that they wanted to have a farm in the middle of their city. They get to make that dream a reality on their last day of elementary school. By chance, they end up with sheep and ducks of their very own with no place to keep them—except for an abandoned lot. Now if only they can convince city officials to let them have the lot for their farm instead of building another parking garage, everything should work out fine. Animal lovers will enjoy the sections that involve the sheep and ducks, but the story line in this early chapter book is completely far-fetched, the animals don't have a strong enough presence, and the characters are not well developed. When the bad guy is defeated, it comes about in an anticlimactic way, making the ending feel rushed. The occasional black-and-white drawings are amusing.—Elizabeth Swistock, Orange County Public Library, VA