Beany (Not Beanhead) and the Magic Crystal - Hardcover

Beany--Bernice Lorraine Sherwin-Hendricks, the heroine from Don't Call Me Beanhead (1994)--is back. This time, Beany has a magic crystal that she believes holds one wish. Her dilemma is what to wish for. Should she use it to get the Sharing and Caring loving cup? Or to find the lost class hamsters? In five hilarious chapters--one of which recalls the plot of Jake Wolf's Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant? (1996) - -Wojciechowski takes familiar circumstances (getting lost, school pictures, and birthday parties) and shows them from a Beany's-eye view. Beany is the girl everyone wants for a friend: She's likable and well-intentioned without being a goody-goody. Her bossy best friend's makeover of Beany for school pictures, involving hair rollers, white magic marker, and duct tape, is fresh and funny, and puts Beany into the very good company of Ramona, Fudge, and Anastasia. Natti's black- and-white illustrations are right on target; readers will use their own magic crystals to wish Beany back again. (Fiction. 6-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 2-4?In this sequel to Don't Call Me Beanhead (Candlewick, 1994), Bernice Lorraine Sherwin-Hendricks (Beany for short) discovers something unique?a crystal from an old chandelier that might be magic and good for one wish. She almost uses the wish several times before finally deciding to use the crystal to guarantee a perfect birthday party. When she pops in on her elderly next-door neighbor to borrow tomato paste for the party spaghetti, she learns that this day would've been Mrs. Kasper and her late husband's 53rd wedding anniversary. Beany promptly gives her the crystal to help her learn to be happy without him and invites her to the party. After the celebration is a big success, Beany knows that the crystal really is magic. The characters are nicely drawn and the plot moves along briskly. Told from Beany's point of view, the story is filled with gentle humor. The black-ink sketches and page-turning text give a delightful view of the world through a child's eyes.?Christina Dorr, Calcium Primary School, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.