Author: Lesa Hammond, PhD
Publisher: Achievement U
Genre: Children
ISBN: 9780615668093
Pages: 140
Price: $6.95
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Letty and Carlos Thompson are heading to Las Vegas to see their father. Their favorite TV star, Phoenix Skye, likes to spend time in Las Vegas, and they hope to catch a glimpse of her while they’re there. They can hardly wait to see all the new sights.
Once they arrive, their father introduces them to their host, Mr. Wilson, Vice President of Human Resources. He gives them a tour of the New York, New York hotel. But when Mr. Wilson and their father aren’t around, Letty and Carlos start exploring, since they have seen Phoenix Skye and want to meet her.
The publisher of this series, Achievement U, was founded to present good role models for at-risk kids. Mr. Wilson spends a lot of time explaining to Letty and Carlos the importance of going to college, so they can get good jobs like his some day. But this becomes the whole focus of the book. There is little action to draw kids in, and the dialogue between Mr. Wilson and the twins goes on for too long.
I appreciate the value of what Achievement U is trying to do in this series, but I think this story would have worked better with more action and less dialogue. Showing rather than telling would make the message even more meaningful.
Reviewer: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews 