Partners in Slime (Quinny & Hopper Book 2)

Schanen, Adriana Brad. Partners in Slime (Quinny & Hopper Book 2) 
October 25th 2016 by Disney-Hyperion
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Quinny is upset because her sister Piper not only makes her miss a school field trip to the animal shelter because she has live, but takes over Quinny's bedroom while their parents are trying to get Piper to stay dry through the night. Hopper is upset because he has to have his tonsils out even though he doesn't approve of this activity. Quinny is able to cheer him up a little with a birthday invitation to the Brain Expo, but her own life doesn't seem to get any better. She loves to help take care of her neighbor's chickens, but doesn't like it when Mrs. Porridge lets her niece, Victoria, help with them. Victoria is a girly-girl who screams when she gets her ballet flats stuck in chicken poop, and she is alternately nice and nasty to Quinny. During Hopper's convalescence, Quinny develops an interest in soccer, and the two work together on a book project for school developing a guide for children who have their tonsils out. Despite their differences, the two remain fast friends who are excellent champions for each other. 

Like Park's Junie B. Jones or Danziger's Amber Brown, Quinny is a head strong, rambunctious character who speaks her mind and frequently gets in trouble for it. It's interesting to see her character paired with Hopper, who has more in common with Yee's Bobby the Brave or Harley's  Charlie Bumpers-- characters who are angst-ridden and fearful. The combination is a nice one, and the fact that they are neighbors makes up for the fact that they don't share a lot of interests. 

Realistic fiction all too often goes back to the same topics, so it's refreshing to see a book concerning tonsils and lice, as well as a younger sibling's bed wetting and neighborhood chickens! There are so many interesting things that people do and it's nice to see different topics discussed. 

The parents and siblings add some depth to the story. Hopper has older brothers who love sports, which makes Hopper's father's unfavorable reaction to his more academic pursuits a little more understandable. Quinny has two younger sisters who are reaching developmental milestones that younger readers think are far in the past for themselves, even though many elementary students still struggle with them. We do have the obligatory deceased parent represented by Victoria's mother, but Victoria at least has Mrs. Porridge to help her. 

It's good to see Quinny and Hopper back for another adventure, and readers who enjoy humorous books will be waiting to see what trouble these two get into after they recuperate from their bouts with tonsilectomies and lice!

This is too young for my students, so I'll pass. Quinny was the type of book character that I just want to slap. It also had rather twee names.