Martin Bridge: Sound the Alarm! - Hardcover

Jessica Scott Kerrin is the author of the bestselling Martin Bridge series, inspired by the misadventures of her husband and son. Her first novel, Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff! was named an ALA Notable Children?s Book and placed on the Horn Book Fanfare List. Kerrin grew up on the Canadian prairies, but now lives with her family and pet tortoise in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Joseph Kelly is a commercial and industrial artist. He is illustrator of the Martin Bridge series of chapter books and A Paddling of Ducks. He lives in Sonoma, California.

Grade 2-4–Martin Bridge returns in two more humorous adventures. In the first, he feels bad when an older boy teases him about liking cartoon superhero Zip Rideout. He must also adjust to a new babysitter, a junior-high student named Darla. Pleased to discover that she also likes Zip Rideout, he agrees to help her learn new dance steps from a demo they watch on the TV. When the other kids find out that he was actually dancing with The Darla McGonagle, his status is elevated in the eyes of the bully. Next, when Martin and a friend are accidentally locked in a toy store after closing, he finally gets the idea to flash a Morse-code signal out the window for help, but must first face his fear of the mannequins on display nearby. Martin is a likable character who inadvertently gets himself into frustrating situations and uses his resiliency and resourcefulness to find practical solutions to his problems. Although he learns life lessons, the book remains light and funny. Kelly's charcoal sketches support the text and will help youngsters comprehend the story. Part of an engaging series that adds a much-needed boy protagonist to early chapter-book sections, this title will be popular with newly independent readers.–Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY
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