ALA Booklist (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2001)

In I Was a Third Grade Science Fair Project (1998), Brian Brain, Josh, and Dougie try to hypnotize Arful the dog into believing he's a cat. But the project misfires, and Josh actually becomes a cat. Even more startling, Arful begins to speak. This hilarious sequel retraces some of the science-fair exploits and launches into the new challenge, a talent contest. The boys must come up with a routine to best their nemesis, Emily Venable. That's when Arful becomes a spy, sneaking into the girls' planning meetings and reporting back to the boys, with plenty of funny misunderstandings. Arful's secret is finally revealed during the show with laugh-out-loud consequences, including gentle mockery of the school principal. Narrated in alternating chapters by Josh and Arful, this lively, intermediate chapter book is a good choice for introducing readers to the notion of multiple points of view; speaker icons at the bottom of each page reinforce help readers keep track. Illustrations by Herm Auch are scattered throughout the book.

Horn Book

This is a funny follow-up to I Was a Third Grade Science Project. Because an experiment in the first book goes wrong, Arful Lewis, a dog, can talk. In alternating chapters headed by thumbnail drawings of the narrators, Arful and human third-grader Josh tell their versions of preparations for the school talent show. The illustrations have a sketchy, amateurish quality, but the text's droll humor moves this chapter book along.

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

After Josh was hypnotized into thinking he was a cat in <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">I Was a Third Grade Science Fair Project, in this sequel his dog, Artful, can talk. The canine's ability to report back on the doings of their nemesis, Emily, has its uses. Ages 7-10. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Jan.)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-A perfectly silly sequel to Auch's hilarious I Was a Third Grade Science Project (Holiday, 1998). This book immediately engages readers with a laugh and a bit of a shock-the first chapter is narrated by Arful the dog. In the earlier title, his owner, Brian "the Brain," and his friends tried to hypnotize Arful into thinking he was a cat, but it was Josh who developed a taste for raw fish, instead. Here, Josh is returned to normal, but Arful can talk. Many short and entertaining scenes ensue as the boys try to win the upcoming talent show and send the dog to spy on the competition. The canine's perceptions and worldview, shared for the first time because of his new vocabulary, provide most of the laughs. The short chapters are narrated alternately by Josh and Arful with postage-stamp-sized illustrations at the beginning of each chapter indicating whose turn it is to "speak." The pace of the story suits the audience and the genre, and the language is well balanced throughout. This title will be a welcome addition to any collection looking for more funny, easy chapter books.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.