Spring Fever

Today we are exploring Spring Fever by Timothy Tocher. I picked this book partly because it is April, and we all might actually have spring fever! We are sick of being cozy and indoors! We want to run outside and play—just like this book’s characters Ernie and Andrew. However, I also chose Spring Fever because this book is one of the most hilarious tales we have in our collection at PVB. It will have you ROFL with each new plot development. Or shall I say, with each new curveball that gets thrown?

This is a story full of funny surprises, and it might make you think again about any grown-up you have chalked up as being a rule-abiding fuddy-duddy. Let’s just say that when Andrew thinks he is in big trouble for practicing his fastball in the cafeteria, he finds he is not alone in his lapse in judgment. Can you think of a time when something you never imagined actually happened? And at school? As a reader, I find there is nothing better than being taken by surprise, and that is what Timothy Tocher has so successfully and hilariously done here. 

In addition to the narrative of this book, I really liked other things about it, such as its vocabulary. The author is an expressive writer, and his text is so merrily engaging. Some of the verbs that really added to the fun of this story include PLUNKED, TRUDGED, PLOPPED, and WADDED.  Why sit down if you can plop? Tocher’s sprightly way with words is not only perfect for this story, but it reminds us that this is what makes reading downright joyful. Books like this make us fall in love with reading! 

Spring Fever is a Level Q book and is part of Lantern Fiction Set 2. Check out the rest of the titles in this series for some other unexpected surprises!