Teddy Mars: Almost a World Record Breaker

Burnham, Molly B. Teddy Mars: Almost a World Record Breaker
March 24th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Teddy has a large family, and the children are all very individual. Teddy's interests are Star Wars and the Guinness Book of World Records, which he eagerly peruses with his friend Lonnie. He's NOT a fan of his young brother Jake, who does disgusting things like climbing into Teddy's bed... with wet pajamas. Teddy gets a tent for his birthday and decides to move into the yard to live, and his parents, who have to look out for the interests of six children, let him. He finds an unlikely ally in Grumpy Pigeon Man, a next door neighbor who hires Teddy to take care of his pigeons, giving Teddy much needed cash to outfit his new home. Teddy goes through the year putting up with his family, trying to break records, and trying to stay out of trouble at school.
Strengths: Supportive family, realistic problems that are not horribly depressing, and some light humor make this a good choice for younger readers.
Weaknesses: This was broken up by chapters headed by months, but also had random paragraph headings in bold print that I found distracting. For a book this short, I would have liked a few more illustrations.
What I really think: I do need some books that are easier to read, and it's okay if they include younger characters. This, however, seemed more like a book for really strong second grade readers than weak 7th grade ones, so I think I will pass. Fine for elementary school libraries, though.