School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-It's an unusual day at Marvin's school: everyone, including his teacher and the principal, is wearing something with holes in it. All come to regret "hole day" when they find out they will be having a surprise visitor-the President of the United States. As the teacher frantically tries to cover up the tear in her shirt that reveals her belly button, television crews enter the classroom. When the president arrives, he talks to the children about good citizenship and then allows time for questions. Marvin is so caught up in the excitement of the day that he forgets to go right home after school and finds himself in big trouble with his parents. All is forgiven, however, when his folks see him with the president on TV that night. Sachar exhibits a keen sense of the way a typical third grader thinks and he sprinkles the text with believable dialogue. Through a perfect blend of humor and thoughtful prose, he drives home the point of what good citizenship is without being didactic. The lively text is broken up periodically with black-and-white drawings. Despite its rather abrupt ending, this beginning chapter book will appeal to fans of the series.-Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
The president of the United States pays a surprise visit to Marvin's class on hole day, when everyone, including Marvin's teacher, is wearing ripped clothes and shoes with toes sticking out. Nevertheless, Marvin and his classmates manage to make a favorable impression on the Commander in Chief. As in all the Marvin Redpost books, Sachar humorously demonstrates his understanding of how kids think and speak. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Third grader Marvin Redpost returns (Why Pick on Me?, 1993, etc.) in the fifth book in this Stepping Stone series. On the day when his teacher and class have decided to wear clothes with holes, the President of the United States makes a surprise visit to their classroom, along with reporters and TV crews. After he makes a statement about citizenship, he takes questions, and Marvin's question about how to become president causes him to be singled out on the TV news that evening. This lightweight, enjoyable story is endowed with a realistic sense of what children are like, how they talk and act; less realistic are aspects of school, including one teacher's belly-button revealing outfit. A final scene in which Marvin's parents won't listen to him is never satisfyingly resolved, but it's balanced by a very gratifying earlier scene when a teacher stands up for a student encountering a pushy reporter. The story hums along with its own cheerful energy, much like Marvin himself. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 6-9)
Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. Marvin's third-grade class is celebrating "hole day" when the President of the United States pays them a surprise visit. A television crew films the action as the president leads the class in a discussion of good citizenship and answers their questions on a variety of topics. Sachar's wit brightens the book, but the humor never overwhelms his depiction of the small, everyday expressions of human nature and, in particular, the child's experiences, such as Marvin's simple enjoyment of "hole day"; his frustration when his parents won't listen to him; and the way his brain turns off when the president asks his name. An entertaining addition to a popular series of beginning chapter books. To be illustrated. --Carolyn Phelan