From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7. A book told from the cockroach point of view is unusual?even more so when the roaches have better sense and family values than the humans. Shoebag, a cockroach who can turn himself into a boy, befriends rich Stanley Sweetsong, the first male to attend Miss Rattray's School for Girls (and now one boy). Terribly lonely, Stanley is incensed that there is an exclusive school club, "The Betters," that he will never be good enough to join; neither will his new friend, Josephine Jiminez, known as the "Doll Smasher." Shoebag, in his human form of Stuart Bagg, suggests that they create their own secret club, "The Butters," which is soon banned by Miss Rattray and forced underground. As these "losers" become "Butters," their self-confidence soars and they plan to save the tarantula trapped in the science lab. In an improbable, fast-paced series of events, they rescue it, almost kill Shoebag by unknowingly feeding him (in cockroach form) to the spider, and embarrass the Better's leader. Rescued by Josephine, Shoebag loyally follows her to her new home when her parents, worried about her self-image, take her out of school. James uses deadpan humor and sharp observations to skewer her targets: secret clubs, unfeeling adults in many guises, and pomposity. The importance of friendship and compassion for others is clearly, but nondidactically presented. Outsiders everywhere will enjoy the melodramatic adventures, wryly told, of Shoebag and his boarding school friends.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 3^-6. Shoebag, the cockroach who can magically transform himself into a (yuck!) boy, returns in another off-the-wall, Kafkaesque adventure. Sympathy for poor Stanley Sweetsong, the only boy student at Miss Rattray's exclusive School for Girls, is Shoebag's motivation for once again metamorphosing into that small boy named Stuart Bagg. Complications involving computers, clubs, and caged creatures quickly ensue; Gregor Samsa, who has abandoned roachdom for stardom, makes a cameo appearance on Career Day; and Shoebag's family, which has taken up residence in a Macintosh (computer, not apple), gets shipped off to Tennessee. M. E. Kerr, writing here as Mary James, seems to have undergone her own metamorphosis--into a more benign Roald Dahl. Readers may expect a lot of laughs as a result, and, no doubt, another sequel. Michael Cart
From Kirkus Reviews
Lacking the freshness and surprise of its predecessor (Shoebag, 1990), this tale will still entertain the many fans of the cockroach who can turn into a boy. Shoebag is now living in the exclusive Miss Rattray's School for Girls, which has recently enrolled its first boy, Stanley Sweetsong. Stanley and his troubled new friend, Josephine, known as the Doll Smasher for the little drama she continually reenacts in her room, are unhappy at being excluded from the club of snobby girls known as The Betters. With Shoebag's help they start their own secret club, The Butters, and pull off a major prank on Career Day. With the same bizarre humor, off-kilter perspective, absurdities, and serious (but not preachy) message, this is a worthwhile sequel, although it is less Shoebag's story than Stanley and Josephine's. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
“A book told from the cockroach point of view is unusual—even more so when the roaches have better sense and family values than the humans. . . . [Kerr] uses deadpan humor and sharp observations to skewer her targets: secret clubs, unfeeling adults. . . . Outsiders everywhere will enjoy the melodramatic adventures.” —School Library Journal
“Shoebag, the cockroach who can magically transform himself into a (yuck!) boy, returns in another off-the-wall, Kafkaesque adventure. . . . M. E. Kerr, writing here as Mary James, seems to have undergone her own metamorphosis—into a more benign Roald Dahl. Readers may expect a lot of laughs as a result, and, no doubt, another sequel.” —Booklist
“This tale will . . . entertain the many fans of the cockroach who can turn into a boy. . . . With the same bizarre humor, off-kilter perspective, absurdities, and serious (but not preachy) message, this is a worthwhile sequel.” —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
M. E. Kerr was born Marijane Meaker in Auburn, New York. Her interest in writing began with her father, who loved to read, and her mother, who loved to tell stories of neighborhood gossip. Unable to find an agent to represent her work, Meaker became her own agent, and wrote articles and books under a series of pseudonyms: Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston, M. E. Kerr, and Mary James. As M. E. Kerr, Meaker has produced over twenty novels for young adults and won multiple awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her lifetime contribution to young adult literature.
