Locked in the Library

Arthur: Locked in the Library
By Marc Brown
Publisher/Date: Little Brown 1998
# of pages: 58
reading level: 3
Genre: fiction


Summary:

Francine is mad at Arthur for calling her a marshmallow. Mr. Ratburn assigns them a project to present a hero. they are partners much to the dismay of Francine. they decide to meet at the library at 3 to do research. she doesn't talk to Arthur. the librarian helps them pick a heroine, joan of Arc. They go to separate sections to research. Arthur accidentally falls asleep, and Fracine puts her headphones on to listen to music. then they both realize that the library has closed, and they are locked inside. they are still mad at each other, so they try to escape separately. then Arthur hears screaming, and thinking it's Francine, he runs to save her. then he finds that she is fine watching a movie and eating pizza in the lounge. she decides to share with them. then the librarian and their parents come and find them there. they are relieved to find each other safe. on monday, they tell their classmates the story of how heroic they both were alone in the library. however, mr. ratburn still expects them to do their report.

Who would this benefit?

Anyone who likes Arthur will benefit from reading this book. it also contains some information of Joan of Arc which is cool. it also teaches the importance of teamwork and of not insulting others because it just leads to problems.

what problems could this cause?

i don't think this could cause problems. yes, Arthur and Francine don't get along at first, but the whole story is about how they realize they need to work together, and by the end they are friends again. so it teaches good lessons that wouldn't cause problems.

My reaction:

I love Arthur. i remember watching the show after school. i liked this book too. it has a good message, and it has the humorous elements of Arthur. Arthur books are classic. i also think the story is an interesting idea of being stuck in a library. i think that would scare most kids, but arthur and francine take it pretty well. i would recommend any Arthur books to anyone.