Spotlight on Cody (Puffin Chapters)

Betsy Duffey is the author of many books for children, including, Hey, New Kid! and Virtual Cody, both illustrated by both Ellen Thompson.

Grade 2-4-When his third-grade teacher decides to put on a talent show, Cody is convinced that he has nothing to contribute. When his attempt at juggling results in disaster, the boy tries his luck at comedy, again with unfortunate results. Finally, Cody discovers his talent while creating a birthday card for his father. He illustrates the signs that introduce each performer and, to everyone's delight, he portrays each student with a flattering likeness. A subplot involves science log entries and sketches on the life cycle of his caterpillar, Joe. The boy watches the insect intently, questions his movements, and even equates his own talent, or lack there of, with it. In the end, Joe emerges beautifully, as does Cody. The strongest element of Duffey's books are her characters and she's right on target here. Written in 12 short, snappy chapters with large print, wide margins, varying sentence length, and relatively simple vocabulary, this easy chapter book will be just as popular as the previous three books about Cody.
Christina Dorr, Whitehall City Schools,
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