Stuart's Cape

Eight-year-old Stuart is new in the neighborhood and anxious about starting a new school. On a boring, rainy day, he longs for adventure and finds it when he creates a superhero cape out of neckties. He meets a talking dinosaur, horse and gorilla; flies around the sky; and plants toast. He later befriends the local trashman upon discovering a mutual appreciation for junk. Slight fluff, so forgettable I had to read it 3 times.

Cute, short, chapter book for beginning readers about Stuart, who has moved to a new home and whose treasures have been mistaken for trash and taken away. Realizing that he needs a cape to have adventures, he staples ties together and flies, makes friends with a dinosaur, a gorilla, a horse, [SPOILER: and, finally a garbage man, who has the same appreciation for discarded treasures as Stuart.] Stuart is a first-class worrier, but also an equally good problem-solver. The book looks at moving to a new place and starting a new school; the sequel, Stuart Goes to School, I assume, looks at going to a new school in greater depth.

I read this to 1st grade boys over the course of a few weeks during their weekly library story time and they loved it.

Whimsical and a little weird. Certainly Stuart doesn't 'really' teach a dinosaur, a gorilla, and a horse how to 'play Stuart' - but who wants to be limited to 'really' anyway? Very early chapter book or advanced Early Reader.

.............

Reread because I remembered this not at all. Imo, it's too surreal to be one of my favorites. Not like [b:Clementine|517344|Clementine (Clementine, #1)|Sara Pennypacker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422763290s/517344.jpg|505277] at all. And I'm really having trouble thinking of this kid being simultaneously 1. worried and 2. in need of an adventure. I bet there are kids like that out there, but I never knew them.

This book is about Stuart who worries a lot about school and making friends, but finds a magic cape that shows him his powers. This book is a good example of fantasy because capes that can make someone fly are not real.

Stuart just moved into a new neighborhood and must start school in only a few days. He is a worrier, worries he won't find friends, that there are snakes in his backyard or there might be monster-eating spiders hiding in his new closet. He also wants an adventure. Makes a cape out of sewn together old ties and the adventures begin.

Genre: Fantasy

Critique: This is an excellent example of a fantasy book because it delves into the imaginary world of a little boy who is bored and finds a magical cape, an unrealistic circumstance, and the author makes is believeable

Summary: Stuart has just moved to a new town, where he is bored and cold and adventureless. All of that changes when he finds a magical cape.

Point of View: The story is told from the point of view of the little boy Stuart. This gives the reader a greater understanding and sympathy for Stuart and the situation he is in, as well as a greater connection with Stuart as a character once he discovers the cape

Media: It doesn't say, but maybe pen and watercolors

This is a good example of a science fiction because it focuses on the conflict rather than character development and it stretches what is physically possible in the scientific world (such as plants growing in 30 seconds, people flying, etc). Most of the action that takes place could not actually happen in real life without scientific improvements that we don't have at this time.
The point of view in this story is third person limited because it is about Stuart and he is the only person whose thoughts we know in the story.
Level: Adolescent