Silly. ( )

Willie is at the bottom of the popular, athletic, and every other social chain until he meets the magical blue chimp Dodger. Funny, fast-paced with the promise of more adventures in the sequel. ( )

I can see upper-elementary kids getting a kick out of this, but it just didn't do it for me. It's kinda funny in spots, but overall it's trying too hard to be hilarious. Fourth- or fifth-graders will probably enjoy it, though.

I'm mildly annoyed that I pulled something off my physical to-read shelf and it turns out to be something I never added to the GoodReads shelf, so I don't even get to delete it off that huge list. Sigh. ( )

Willie Ryan’s life couldn’t possibly get any worse: he’s not popular, not as good at baseball as he’d like to be, and his best friend has just moved away. So when Dodger, a large, imaginary blue chimp wearing surfer shorts appears and offers to give Willie a hand at improving his life (ala the genie in the magic lamp), Willie figures why not? And so begins Sonnenblick’s first book for younger readers. The plot is quickly predictable but the dialogue is sharp and funny, and the predicaments Dodger creates are outrageous enough to keep young readers with the story. The first in a planned series. Recommended. ( )

Lots of silly fun. A boy comes into his own. Creative, imaginative, and entertaining. Grades 1 and up. ( )