  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 07/01/2015 It’s Mind Your Manners Month at Sumac School, but that’s hard for second-grader Richard when his best friend, Patrick, is a jokester. When one of his pranks leaves red Jell-O splattered on the vice-principal’s shirt, and Sophie—the new student from France—calls them stupid, the trio of classmates ends up in the office. The misunderstanding becomes even murkier when Richard tries to explain the situation to Sophie using idiomatic expressions. When she starts talking about “making white cabbage,” they also learn that idioms exist in other languages as well. The idioms and humor abound throughout as Richard and Patrick suffer the consequences of Patrick’s prank by creating and delivering a report on manners in the lunch room at the next school assembly. With Patrick not one to keep his nose clean, the boys’ friendship is also tested as Patrick continues his antics. Accompanied by lively black-and-white sketches, Richard’s first-person narration lends a hand at keeping lessons on language arts and manners lighthearted. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Loading...
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