The Campaign
The Campaign
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Publisher's Hardcover ©2020--
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Harry N Abrams, Inc.
Annotation: Veep meets Parks and Recreation in this hilarious illustrated middle-grade political comedy about a 12-year-old who runs... more
 
Reviews: 3
Catalog Number: #239006
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2020
Edition Date: 2020 Release Date: 09/29/20
Illustrator: Balacuit, Kim,
Pages: 267 pages
ISBN: 1-419-73974-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-419-73974-3
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2019053253
Dimensions: 21 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Maddie Polanski doodles her way through most of her seventh-grade classes, finding them stressful and boring, but the one bright spot on her schedule is art with Mr. Xian. Of all her teachers, he understands the way her mind works. So how does a middle-school art kid get involved in local politics? Maddie decides to flex her civic muscles when she learns that the only person running for mayor of her town wants to defund the arts. If that happens, Mr. Xian will lose his job and Maddie will lose her favorite class! Though Maddie's too young to run for mayor herself, her babysitter, Janet, is up for the challenge, with the plucky protagonist acting as her campaign manager. Together they learn the tricks of the trade as they endeavor to campaign and advocate for the arts. This energizing read adeptly explains political strategy through humor and illustrations. A perfect pick for an election year, this novel will have readers rooting for the "little guy" and waiting on tenterhooks for all the ballots to be counted and the next mayor announced.

Kirkus Reviews

A 12-year-old girl leads a mayoral campaign in hopes of saving arts education.Maddie Polansky loves art class-it's the only thing that makes school bearable since she doesn't have many friends and most teachers seem to dislike her-and dreams of being a professional cartoonist. When Mr. Xian, her beloved art teacher, tells her about Lucinda Burghart, the woman running unopposed for mayor who wants to slash funding for arts education, Maddie is ready to enact change. There are just two problems: She can't legally run for mayor and her preoccupied, noncommittal parents aren't nearly as worked up about this as she is. But Janet, her recent college graduate nanny, is a viable option. Janet accepts Maddie unconditionally and encourages her activism. They register Janet as a mayoral candidate just under the deadline, kicking off Maddie's crash course in democratic processes. After a minor scandal, the campaign looks hopeless, forcing Maddie to seek out help from an unlikely source: her classmates. Maddie-who believes it's her quirks, not her lack of a filter, that keep her from connecting with others-guides the long-shot team in hopes of improving society. This energetic, mindful book reinforces the agency of children and will inspire them to take action. Black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations throughout are often humorous and reinforce Maddie's uncensored opinions. Maddie is White, Janet is brown-skinned, and there is diversity throughout.A timely book encouraging youth to get involved. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Maddie, 12, lives for art class, the one place in school where -it-s not really possible to do anything dumb or weird,- so she-s devastated when she learns that the lone candidate running for town mayor, a former Olympian campaigning as a -goal-oriented straight shooter,- wants to cut school arts funding. Maddie is not one to go down without a fight, however, so she persuades her babysitter Janet to sign up as the race-s challenger. The odds are stacked against Janet, but things kick into high gear after Maddie asks popular drama club queen Dahlina to enlist her friends to help run the campaign. Maddie-s fears-that she is disliked by classmates, that she-ll have to share Janet with the world-are well wrought and relatable, as is her drive to fight for what she believes. Sales (Once Was a Time) seamlessly weaves campaigning facts and ethics into the timely tale, educating readers while keeping them hooked on the suspenseful election. Balacuit-s cartoons pepper the text, detailing story elements through short word-bubble conversations. Ages 8-12. Author-s agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. (Sept.)

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ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Word Count: 36,457
Reading Level: 4.9
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.9 / points: 5.0 / quiz: 512065 / grade: Middle Grades
Guided Reading Level: W
Fountas & Pinnell: W

Veep meets Parks and Recreation in this hilarious illustrated middle-grade political comedy about a 12-year-old who runs her babysitter’s campaign for mayor

For 12-year-old Maddie Polansky, the only good part of school is art class. And though she’s never paid much attention to politics, when she learns that the frontrunner for mayor of her city intends to cut funding for the arts in public schools, the political suddenly becomes very personal. So Maddie persuades her babysitter, Janet, to run for mayor against Lucinda Burghart, art-hating bad guy. Soon, Maddie is thrust into the role of campaign manager, leading not only to humor and hijinks, but to an inspiring story for young readers that talks about activism and what it takes to become an engaged citizen. Maddie and Janet’s adventures on the campaign trail are illustrated by copious black-and-white drawings throughout the book.


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