Browsing the beginning chapter books: The best of Iggy by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sam Ricks

Genre: Realistic fiction, Humor

Protagonists: Male, White

Reading Level: 500s; Intermediate chapter book

Series: Complete with 5 books

Originally reviewed in March, 2020

Review: I never really got into Ivy + Bean, but I have plenty of kids who love them. Even more impressive, although there was a long gap between the penultimate and final? book, kids still knew about the series and were excited about a new book!

I was interested to see how Barrows handled a new character. The first thing to be aware of, is that the Iggy series is a much higher reading level than Ivy + Bean. There are still illustrations and it's a short book, at the end it congratulates readers on making it through 20 chapters, but some of the chapters are only a page long. However, the font is smaller and more dense, more like a chapter book than a beginning chapter book.

Iggy is the kind of kid who means well, but... yeah. Definitely a slightly more naughty version of Melonhead, a literary kid for whom I have always had a deep affection. Iggy and the narrator, who have several spirited exchanges throughout the book, explain that this book is about "three types of things we wish we hadn't done." Of course, there are degrees in this. The first thing, convincing the goody-two-shoes Jeremy Greerson to jump off the shed roof, Iggy doesn't really regret, just that he got into trouble for it. Also, there were extenuating circumstances. The second thing Iggy just... went too far. As the narrator explains, there are no extenuating circumstances. "The truth is Iggy was bored and lonely, so he went into the bathroom, and while he was there, he lost his mind."

The third thing... well, Iggy wishes he'd never done it. He wishes he'd never even THOUGHT about it. But he did. And he's very, very, very sorry.

Verdict: Sure to tickle the funny bone of your readers with a thoughtful, surprisingly subtle discussion of making choices and mistakes. Recommended.

Revisited: This has had mixed circulation over the years. I promote the first book and it checks out frequently, but the subsequent books don't go out much. I think it might circulate better if moved back to the juvenile fiction, instead of the beginning chapter books, and I also should promote them to the schools. I would recommend purchasing just the first book (which is still in print in hardcover and paperback) and see how your audience reacts.

ISBN: 9781984813305; Published January 2020 by Putnam; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library; Purchased the rest of the series.