Jasper John Dooley NOT in Love

Reviewed by: Barbara Merritt - Scarborough School Department, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 3, 2015

Review

Jasper and Ori, young elementary school classmates and neighbors, are best friends. Isabel, another classmates, makes Jasper's life very complicated. While the boys like to play knights, the girls want to play babies. Isabel has decided she loves Jasper and is going to marry him. She does everything she can to be with him, including inviting him to her house for a play date. She has a trampoline which Jasper loves, but has to decide if the fun he has on the trampoline is worth spending time with Isabel. While the dialog seems right on for children of their age, their exploits are odd. They seem a bit young for such intense boy/girl interest. Several times, Isabel licks Jasper. In order to get Isabel to stop liking him, Jasper dumps jelly on her head. These things might make young readers laugh and keep them reading, but they are not very believable. Ample white space, multiple illustrations, and large font will appeal to young readers.

Overall Book Score: good