Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout (Stink Series #8)

by Megan McDonald, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

Croak! Squeenk! Ribbet! After a close encounter with a mutant amphibian makes him freaky for frogs, water-shy Stink becomes a swimming success.

Stink may be super smart, and Stink may be uber clever, but he’s been in the Polliwog swim class frog-ever and he still can’t bear to put his face in the water. Why would he want a geyser up his nose, on purpose? But then something weird happens: Stink starts to see frogs everywhere — in the locker room, in his boot, in the bathtub. And when a freaky blue frog licks his arm, his froggy senses start tingling! He has an urge to slurp up raisins (that look like flies). He can’t wait to play in the rain and mud. He’s a wiz at identifying frog calls. And he has become very interested in the local frog population. Could it be that Stink is turning into . . . the amazing Stink-Frog, fighter of slime? Pree-eep! Craw-awk!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763666880
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/11/2014
Series:	Stink Series , #8
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Megan McDonald is the creator of the popular and award-winning Judy Moody and Stink series. She is also the author of three Sisters Club stories, Ant and Honey Bee: A Pair of Friends at Halloween, and many other books for children. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Peter H. Reynolds is the illustrator of the Stink and Judy Moody books and the author-illustrator of The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, So Few of Me, The North Star, and Rose’s Garden. Born in Canada, he now lives in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

Brief, cheery, oversized text and lot of cartoonish black-and-white illustrations...make this a good choice for newly independent readers...Young readers with a fondness for amphibians will jump all over this one.
—Kirkus Reviews

Quick paced and funny, this eighth series title will charm fans.
—Booklist Online

From the Publisher

When young listeners start experimenting with croaking sounds, you’ll know that this has been the audiobook of the moment. In this latest adventure, Stink faces his fear of swimming underwater, discovers a mutant frog, participates in the First Annual Frog Neck Lake Frog Count, and creates Amazing Frog-Boy comics, all with signature Judy Moody and Stink humor. Barbara Rosenblat narrates with gusto and nuance. Each character is distinctive—from a spot-on teenage guide at the Nature Center to an ever-ready-to-needle older sister, Judy. Stink changes emotion along the spectrum from insecurity to elation. Rosenblat elongates phrases to emphasize alliteration, speeds and slows and goes almost breathless to create dramatic effect, and uses staccato for emphasis. Frog sound effects and fanfares to set off Stink’s comics complete the production. A.R. 2014 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2014 - AudioFile

Stink Moody, younger brother of Judy, hops into the spotlight with a common problem--and one that's a bit more unusual. Stink would like to advance in his swimming lessons, but he's afraid to put his face underwater and seems doomed to remain a Polliwog forever. Fortunately, he's distracted from that issue by the sudden appearance around town--in some surprising places--of a whole lot of real frogs, a few of which are deformed. These frogs give McDonald the opportunity to offer a little information, through the voice of a nature-center guide, on how adverse environmental conditions can influence frog development. Stink memorizes a variety of frog sounds, enabling him to participate in a frog count at a local pond. Somehow, he becomes convinced that he's turning into a frog himself, but that might just make it possible for him to swim underwater. Brief, cheery, oversized text and lot of cartoonish black-and-white illustrations (only some of which were available for review) make this a good choice for newly independent readers. A minor issue is that the text informs readers that it is early spring; even in Virginia, that's a little early for Stink to be taking swimming lessons in an outdoor pool, as indicated in the illustrations. Young readers with a fondness for amphibians will jump all over this one. (Fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews