Have Courage, Hazel Green - Hardcover

Grade 3-5–Hazel Green is back, and in trouble as usual. This time she has overheard the powerful lawyer, Mr. Davis, yelling at her building's kindly custodian, telling him, I don't like you and I don't like your kind. In an attempt to make Mr. Davis feel guilty and apologize, she sets a scene in which she shouts the same words at her friend, the Yak. She is overheard, but instead of making Mr. Davis repent, she gets herself banished from the big building party. Ultimately, with the help of her friends and her own courage, she finds a way to unmask Mr. Davis for who he is and shows everyone what really happened. The slightly choppy text, meandering story, and heavy-handed moral are unlikely to bother young readers, who will be rooting for the protagonist all the way. Hirsch's quirky main characters are interesting and likable, and Hazel and her friends are fairly well rounded. Unfortunately, many of the secondary characters tend to be two-dimensional, and Hazel's parents are rarely seen cardboard cutouts. However, the author's descriptions bring the settings and situations alive, and Hirsch infuses the story with humor and a fairy-tale feel. Libraries in which Hazel Green (2003) and Something's Fishy, Hazel Green (2005, both Bloomsbury) are popular will likely want to add this one. Others looking for fun, easy adventure stories will find it a nice addition, but not a first purchase.–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
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