Reading Metrics
Description
When Alice's mother returns to work, Alice feels upset and decides to give her new after-school caretaker, Mrs Lilly, a hard time. Her scheme unravels when Mrs Lilly must take the family cat, Archie, to the vet for his flu shot, pulling Alice into the errand. Through the small adventure with Archie, Alice discovers that coping with change can be easier when she offers kindness instead of resistance.
Quick Summary
If you've got a kid who struggles with big feelings about change, this little chapter book hits home. Alice is not okay when her mom takes a job, and she decides the best way to cope is by giving her new babysitter, Mrs. Lilly, an especially hard time pranks, attitude, the whole nine yards. What makes it work is that it doesn't talk down to kids; Mrs. Lilly has some clever tricks of her own, and the two of them slowly figure out how to actually get along. It's short enough for emerging readers to finish in a sitting or two, and the humor keeps things light even when Alice's frustration feels real. Parents will appreciate that it opens up conversations about adjusting to new routines without being preachy. Kids who liked "Junie B. Jones" or other early chapter books with stubborn, relatable main characters will likely gravitate toward Alice's story.