Lisa HarkraderCool Beans: The Further Adventures of Beanboy

Love the book

This was the best book ever!! I would recommend it to all my friends. I liked every bit of it

I love this book I recommend it to anyone and everyone it's just so cool if you haven't read the first one than go read it

Good book for our children's section of our Library.

At first I wasn't sure to make of this second book featuring "Beanboy" Tucker MacBean. The book was fine, but I had really enjoyed the humor and heart in the first book, and I felt that this one might not be living up to my expectations.The story is different -- more of a school story than a sort of coming-of-age story that we got in The Adventures of Beanboy. But there's nothing like a good school story. Like a novel that draws me in as I see themes of my everyday life -- friendship, balance, identiy, motherhood -- reflected in the pages, such is a school story for most kids. They get to read about situations familiar to them, perhaps on a larger-than-life scale, but still relevant to their lives, those things such as homework, fitting in, crushes, bullies and more.So the topic warmed me up, seeing it as interesting and relevant to kids, and then - bam - suddenly out of nowhere Tucker's sweet spirit reemerged, and I was once again charmed.Tucker is trying to save the art club. They've already lost their bulletin board to the girls' basketball team, and they've lost a few members who have moved away. What will happen if they keep dwindling? First, the bulletin board and then maybe their whole club? The club is coming up with ideas to try to boost membership, but Tucker has another plan. He has entered the club in the Dodgeball tournament to help them earn some respect, but he needs to get 14 people to sign up or they'll have to forfeit. He knows they have the best name -- The Artful Dodgers -- and he knows they can work well together, but can they stand up to the jocks and make a name for themselves?This novel could easily stand alone, but Tucker's backstory in The Adventures of Beanboy is rich, so if it sounds like a story you'd like, I recommend that you read that one first.

This is a very nice book and I think that the premise and action points are all very strong.I liked the idea that this kind of nerdy comic book kid could excel at dodgeball, and spread the word about art. I really liked the level of caring that Tucker (Tut) has for his little brother Beech. And the had all the prerequisite bashfulness that seems to permeate the genre, from him not wanting to be seen by the local sports hero in the sporting good store, to how he feels about a cute girl. Bashfulness in spades.So I give the book 4 stars. I guess somehow the book didn't really stand out for me. I really liked the ending, I thought it was pretty strong. And the casual illustrations here and there were fun and broke up the text nicely, although, the illustrations are only 5% of the book tops so they don't get in the way much.Its a nice little book and certainly safe for any child to read, it stays away from all the "hot topics" (except for the divorce part where his Dad is never there).The author does a very capable job, and is even clever in places. But I didn't want to go out and but the first book, which I sometimes do. And it didn't make me want to read any future books. It was just a nice little read.

Summary:Tucker "Beanboy" MacBean is back! In this tale, he is attempting to save his art club. Art has been his way of expressing himself, so it is no doubt an extremely important part of his life. They have had to give up their bulletin board to the girl's basketball team, and their club is dwindling in numbers. How can they keep their standing if they don't even have a way to attract attention? Beanboy has a plan. He has decided to sign the art club up to compete in the dodgeball tournament. The Artful Dodgers need to make a stand against the jocks and take back their rightful place within the school hallways, but can they do it?My thoughts:Tucker is an excellent character! While I think that some of the humor is missing within this second novel, Tucker still stands out as an endearing, lifelike boy. He is easy to root for and easy to identify with. I always look forward to the illustrations as they definitely remind me of reading my superhero comics when I was a child. The imagination just screams off the page and is enough of a reason to pick up this book. It helps that the story is also wonderful. It is easy to recognize school issues and necessities as well as hope that Beanboy overcomes the bumps in the road.

We have become unabashed Tucker MacBean fans this summer: first reading The Adventures of Beanboy, then following up with Cool Beans. The marketing campaign equates this series with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants books, but this book has far more going for it in terms of storytelling, depth of characters, and feel-good fun. So many books these days are about underachieving, sneaky, slacker kids who are not heroes. Tucker MacBean, while not perfect, is a good role model because he goes after his dreams, is not afraid to take a chance on the impossible and learns something about himself--and others--as he navigates life's challenges. Parents: you will not regret buying your kids this book.The characters and story are uncomplicated (no uncomfortable sarcasm or potty humor) so the good guys are free to be good and the bad guys get it in the end in a very satisfying way. Throughout the story there are twists and surprises and enough gentle suspense to keep you turning pages. Cool Beans-with its various character voices and author's distinct writing voice is flat-out fun to read. I read chapters aloud to my 9 and 7-year-old each day so that I could review it. But my older son finished reading the book to his younger brother; they couldn't wait for me.I strongly suggest reading the first book, The Adventures of Beanboy, before reading Cool Beans so that you get the full flavor of the characters and understand some of the underlying relationships. Cool Beans is a worthy sequel and we all hope Lisa Harkrader is busy working on the next installment. We can't wait.