Grade 2-4 --When a new boy who has AIDS joins

Grade 2-4 --When a new boy who has AIDS joins Michael's fourth-grade class, Michael reluctantly becomes his work partner. He soon learns, however, that Alex is funny, creative, and mischievous. He says he can do anything he wants because "I'm sick," so the two boys write an insulting poem about their teacher. Alex's wish to be treated like everyone else is granted--both boys are disciplined, but their friendship is strengthened. Factual information about AIDS is woven into the story fairly unobtrusively. However, some of the more traumatic elements of this illness are glossed over in an effort to promote the message--kids with AIDS are still kids. Overall, the characters are credible; Michael's narration rings true, and Alex's use of his disease to escape punishment seems realistic. Sims's familiar colorful cartoons are adequate but not exceptional. As literature the book is mediocre, but within the bounds of "fiction with a purpose," it succeeds. Rosmarie Hausherr's Children and the AIDS Virus (Clarion, 1989) is a more detailed, factual presentation. Doris Sanford's David Has AIDS (Multnomah, 1989) is a more sentimentalized story for younger children. --Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.