Annie Bananie Moves to Barry Avenue - Softcover

Leah Komaiko is the author of many popular picture books for children, including the best-selling Annie Bananie, Earl's Too Cool for Me, and Aunt Elaine Does the Dance from Spain. She lives in Los Angeles.

Kindergarten-Grade 3. A short chapter book featuring a character introduced in the picture book Annie Bananie (HarperCollins, 1989). Libby is bored with summer, upset by the coming of a new baby, and unhappy with Grandma Gert's refusal to let her have a dog. With the arrival of Annie Bananie and her huge rottweiler, Boris, things start to look up. Libby and Annie quickly become friends, and the gregarious newcomer soon expands the circle to include three other neighborhood girls. At Libby's suggestion, they form a club for dog owners. Libby, the only member without a dog, becomes president, but must prove her worth by getting her dog-hating Grandma Gert to kiss Boris. As in the picture book, Annie appears as the perfect pal, but Komaiko tries too hard here to freshen yet another friendship story. Though the rivalry between the girls is believable, the eccentric characters remain undeveloped and not very likable. In addition, the dialogue is difficult to follow and often peppered with unusual words. Annie, for example, calls Libby "matey" for no apparent reason while Grandma Gert (who likes mashed potatoes for breakfast) often begins her more excited sentences with "Aggh." All in all, a disappointment.?Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME
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