In The Groove
Genre: Middle Grades
John Cooper
ABC 123 Publishing

Interesting read ... Recommended ... 5 stars

Dewey and his friends Cindi Joy, Shy Annda, Trevor, Fussie Fran are back and they are still in fourth grade with Mrs Cusamano. Dewey's friends help him overcome his depression at losing the 'big game', the kids visit their club house in Fussie Fran's basement and Dewey has new neighbors. Clyde, Big C is a musician, bigger than most of the kids his age and a military brat: his major dad is a pilot in the Air Force. Before long Clyde is known as Big Bang. A run in with the Stape twins Ryan and Brian could mean real trouble for Dewey. Bigger trouble is ahead when the class must find a news article to share with the class and Dewey is faced with a sad fact for the first time.

"In The Groove" continues with more of Dewey and his adventures. Writer Cooper tells Dewey's story from the standpoint of this nine year old boy. Readers are drawn right into the tale from the opening paragraph as we read about Dewey and his basketball game. "In The Groove" tells how kids feel from the standpoint of the kid and because it does the book is sure to be a kid pleaser.

I like the notion that something more is to come in the next book. "In The Groove" ends with Dewey facing a dilemma. Kids will look forward to reading the next in this series.

Vocabulary is a tad advanced for the 6 and 7 year old reader, however it should not prove a problem for the 8 - 10 year old set.

"In The Groove" is a must for the home library or for classroom use.