Phineas Listerman MacGuire, known as Mac, considers himself quite a scientist, but his plans to win the fourth-grade science fair may be ruined when Mrs. Tuttle assigns new kid Mac R. as his partner. Though the boys share the same name, they aren't alike; obnoxious Mac R. has already alienated the whole class. But to his surprise, Mac discovers that the new boy (whose real name is Ben) is really a gifted artist and decent guy, and he finds a way to help the kid start fresh. Using repetitive phrasing and lots of lists (from project ideas to facts Mac learns about science and Ben), Dowell brings to life a likable, nerdy kid who thrives on scientific thinking. A departure from Dowell's Dovey Coe (2001), this book targets a younger audience; the type is large and well spaced, and black-and-white art playfully captures the characters, including the quirky Mrs. Tuttle, who apparently loves frogs. Budding scientists will find instructions for their own experiments at the end of the book.

Budding scientist and fourth-grader Mac has just lost his best friend to a move. Now at lunch he sits at "the table for people who don't have anyone else to sit with." He does, however, have an "un-best friend," Mac R., newly arrived from Seattle and pugnaciously determined to hate everything at Woodbrook Elementary. In the way of young middle-grade novels, Mac and Mac R. are thrown together for the big science-fair project, which itself proves a Petri dish for the cultivation of their unlikely friendship. Mac is a thoroughly likable kid, whose easy sense of self makes it that much harder to understand the spiky Mac R., but which also helps him to help his partner win over their classmates. Dowell adapts to this shorter and simpler mode of storytelling easily, painting her characters with deft strokes and providing them with enough emotional complexity to make them comfortably three-dimensional. Mac's chatty narrative includes several references to science projects, which are described and explained in an appendix. All in all, a smart, funny read—the first in a promising series. (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 2-4-What do you do when your best friend moves in the second week of 4th grade? That is the situation facing Phineas Listerman MacGuire (Mac). Everyone in class already has a best friend, except for the new kid-Mac Robbins, known as Mac R., who has gone out of his way to alienate his classmates. The one bright light in Mac's life is the science fair in a few weeks. He is a scientist who specializes in volcanoes, a passion that his friend Marcus shared. When Mac R. is assigned to be his partner, Mac is sure it will be a disaster. Surprisingly, he finds that the new kid has some good ideas about their project, has a talent in art, and isn't as tough as he pretends to be. His real name is actually Ben. Though their science project hits a few bumps along the way, the volcano has a successful eruption and it looks like Mac just might have a new best friend. Three science experiments are appended, including, of course, an erupting volcano. Readers who enjoy Suzy Kline's "Herbie Jones" (Putnam) and "Horrible Harry" books (Viking) will find Mac appealing.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

When science-minded Mac's best friend unexpectedly moves away, he is assigned another partner for the upcoming school science fair--the obnoxious new boy. Told in fourth-grader Mac's open, humorous, and self-effacing voice, the straightforward story is simple without being simplistic. The amusing tale and frequent illustrations are perfect for fans of Martin Bridge and the Julian stories.