Review: Zeke Meeks vs the Big Blah-rific Birthday by D.L. Green

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

When Zeke's birthday party falls near Grace Chang's and Owen Leech's big bashes, he decides to cancel his party. After all, even he would rather go to their over-the-top parties than his simple celebration. But Zeke and his classmates are in for a surprise. Bigger doesn't always mean better.
From the Zeke Meeks series. For ages 7-10.
* Very funny first-person narration: Kirkus describes Zeke as an easier-to-read option to the Wimpy Kid series
* Humorous illustrations enrich the stories
* At the end of the book, Zeke defines tricky words in his own funny way
* Birthday activity keeps the fun going in Zeke Meeks vs the Big Blah-rific Birthday
About the Author:
D.L. Green lives in California with her husband, three children, silly dog, and a big collection of rubber chickens. She loves to read, write, and joke around.
About the Illustrator:
Josh Alves is an illustrator who gets to create in his studio in central Maine. As a husband and father, he constantly draws inspiration from his family. He loves humor, wit, and anything that gets your thinker thinking.

MY TAKE:
Ah, to be young and eager to have the best birthday party ever.

In Zeke Meeks vs the Big Blah-rific Birthday, Zeke's 9th birthday is coming up and he wants to have an awesome celebration. However, the kind of party he has in mind isn't in his mom's budget. Additionally, two of his classmates are having really big birthday parties that weekend too. So what will happen to Zeke's party?

With children's books, you can usually tell how a story will turn out. While you can sort of guess how the story will end, I doubt you'll be able to guess the specifics. Granted, I'm not sure how likely it is that Zeke's party and his friends' reactions would be the same in real life as it was in the book. Within the context of the story, though, it's a good way to tie things up and shows that fancy parties aren't always as fun as the simple things in life.

Since this is a Picture Window book, there are illustrations, especially at the start of the book. Some of the illustrations also have captions of sorts, similar to what you'd find in someone's diary or journal. I really liked the illustrations as it really felt like it had been drawn by a talented young boy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Picture Window Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Zeke Meeks vs the Big Blah-rific Birthday is on February 1, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The illustrations are appropriate to the story and the main character.
2. The story is entertaining.
3. Zeke is a likable character.

THE BAD:

1. The activities at Zeke's party might not actually hold kids' attention in real life.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"Let's begin. Everyone toss your money at me," Grace said.

READ IT IF:

1. You have a young boy who's been bugging you for more allowance or a later bedtime.
2. It's almost your child's birthday.
3. Your child wants a grand, expensive party but you don't have the budget for it.

RATING:


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