Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little

So, I have been having problems finding a character that I love ever since I read CLEMENTINE by Sara Pennypacker. How could anyone compare to Clementine? Well, I finally discovered the character who could be Clementine's new best friend. Moxy Maxwell is an amazing character. I picked up the book MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE STUART LITTLE by Peggy Gifford because I loved the premise--a 4th grader who had procrastinated her assigned summer reading until the very last day of summer. The back cover reads:

"Now, Moxy loved to read books. She loved books so much that sometimes she would stay up all night and read. It's just that Maxy liked to read what she wanted to read and not what someone told her to read."

I expected to like the plot but I didn't really expect to love the main character so much that I am looking for the author's email address so that I can beg her to write more about Moxy.

Lots to love about this book--it is a great, short chapter book. Like I said, who can argue with the premise. The chapter titles are fun and the photos throughout are laugh-out-loud funny. But, the very best part of the book is Moxy. I should have known I would love her from the front cover photo--but I didn't spend enough time looking at it since I fell so quickly in love with the blurb on the back.

To help you know Moxy a bit better, here is the except where I decided that I needed more books about Moxy:

"Now, Moxy's mother was not wrong when she pointed out how rare cases of 'in-between' were for her older daughter. To the best of her knowledge, she had never witnessed Moxy in between anything: while Moxy was eating lunch, for example, she was already asking what was for dinner. The day she got her puppy, Mudd, she wanted to know if she could get another to keep him company. Before she could finish one sentence, she had often started another."

This is a quick read--less than an hour. It is one of my new favorites. A great read aloud for the middle grades. (Lots of the humor is meant for older readers--that is one of the things I love about it. Some of the funniest moments could be lost with younger readers.) I may have to read it aloud, although the photos are so fun, kids would have to be able to experience those, too.

Peggy Gifford, it seems from the back flap, originally planned to be a famous actress. After reading this book, I am pretty selfishly happy that her plan did not work out. Her new plan is to become a famous writer instead. I am in total support of this PLAN B. She is really, really good at this writing thing.

If anyone finds Peggy Gifford's address, we need to send letters in bulk, begging for more books about Moxy Maxwell.