Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One

Listening to this audio book, I kept thinking that was a younger version of "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing." The story has the sibling rivalry aspect of that book, but it doesn't necessarily deal with some of the more mature subject matter of the book.

The story is told in alternating chapters by the older sister and younger brother in the family. The title comes from the fact that each incident centers around a weekend event for the two characters. It's light, amusing fun.

Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One is about a brother and his seven-year-old sister and their cat Fluzzy. Voices alternate with each chapter from the Great One, who is so named because Abigail thinks she is so great and the Pain, because as a brother Jake is a pain to his sister. Their cat, Fluzzy also has a few words. Written for the lower elementary school reader, the tone and language capture the essence of sibling rivalry. When Abigail plans her half birthday sleepover, she counts the day until the big event. She awakes early the day of the party to find that the Pain is sick. Abigail is livid and fears the party will be canceled. One friend shows up but the event ends poorly. Due to the brevity of the novel, the show more character development was limited. We could feel Abigail’s excitement however when she finally lets go of her long-held fear to learn how to ride a bicycle. Young readers may find humor in the silly events in the story, but may also find the alternating first person a little hard to follow. show less

MEET THE PAIN:
My sister's name is Abigail. I call her The Great One because she thinks she's so great. Who cares if she's in third grade and I'm just in first?

MEET THE GREAT ONE:
My brother's name is Jacob Edward, but everyone calls him Jake. Everyone but me. I call him The Pain because that's what he is. He's a first-grade pain. I'll always know exactly what he's thinking. That's just the way it is.

These seven warm-hearted stories will give readers a peek at how a brother and sister relate to each other.

I like the fact the book is a simple chapter book for beginning readers and isn't too challenging. The characters need to be developed more and the rivalry might not be such a good influence on young readers.

A sequel to Blumes classic, “The Pain and the Great One,,” but this time in the form of a junior novel. The sister brother pair have gotten older but they are still competing for attention. Filled with Blume’s humor that will engage both boys and girls. This book is highly recommended to teachers to use as a read a loud.