Shermy and Shake, the Not So Nice Neighbor

Shermy doesn’t like wearing his new glasses, but it’s a problem because when he hears a strange, scary voice, he can’t see what it is. Soon he discovers it’s Shake, a boy Shermy’s age, who is visiting his grandmother next door for the whole summer. Shermy and Shake like very different things. Shake likes busy, energetic things, while Shermy likes quiet games and reading. And Shake comes over all the time, makes up rules for games so he wins, and is generally annoying. But they are thrown together all summer long, and at the end of summer, Shermy realizes he is probably going to miss his new friend. They have had some rough patches, but they have had a lot of fun as well.

Kirby Larson has created some fun characters with the kinds of family issues and friend issues most kids will relate to. She sprinkles in plenty of humor, high-interest situations, and ends with series potential. The book has lots of fun illustrations and great cover art by Shinji Fujioka that will invite emerging readers into this very attractive chapter book. This is a real winner for the youngest of independent readers.