How Oliver Olson Changed the World

March 1, 2009
Gr 2-4-Oliver Olson's overprotective parents present the boy with a lot of rules and rarely allow him to contribute to his own school assignments. They consistently offer words of caution instead of words of encouragement, and plenty of "no's." It is only when Crystal, a talkative classmate, asks Oliver to be her partner for the solar system project that he finds his voice. Crystal is determined that Pluto should still be considered a planet. Oliver, full of unexpressed protest, has a great idea for how to keep it in their diorama. Emotionally, he identifies with the "left out" planet because he knows his parents won't allow him to attend the space sleepover at school, even if it is the biggest event of third grade. When the class brainstorms ideas to change the world, Oliver thinks parents should not do homework for their kids. Little does he know that people will listen. Mills has a knack for creating characters who demand compassion due to a pitch-perfect sense of humor and pathos. This is a perfect selection for parent book clubs whose members are overly involved in their children's lives or for budding chapter-book readers. They'll appreciate the funny ink-and-wash drawings, the primer on social activism, and a fun romp through an artfully taught unit on the solar system, replete with scientific arguments for and against Pluto's planethood.Sara Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York, NY

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Grades 2-4 Oliver feels as excited as his classmates when their third-grade teacher describes the upcoming space sleepover. Theyll spend the night at school, see the stars and planets through a telescope, play space games, and watch a science-fiction movie. But Oliver knows he wont be able to gobecause his overprotective parents dont allow sleepovers. When Crystal, his solar system diorama partner, intervenes to help Oliver air his opinions, he begins to see a path toward independence. Mills creates believable characters who express the emotional nuances as well as the practical difficulties of Olivers predicament. The scene in which Oliver watches his mother and father start to make his diorama themselves offers a painfully accurate portrayal of over-involved parents. But perhaps the most notable achievement of the book is to show Crystal and Oliver changing their minds about an issue (whether Pluto should be called a planet) as they learn more about it. An engaging and thought-provoking chapter book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Oliver's overprotective parents insist on doing everything for him. As for letting him attend the third-grade sleepover? Fuggedaboudit. Drawn into opinionated classmate Crystal's orbit while working together on a solar system diorama, Oliver begins to assert himself. Mills's previous books for this age group have been stellar, and this one's no exception. Full-page pencil illustrations, one per chapter, add warmth and humor.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2009
Oliver's overprotective parents insist on doing everything, including homework, for him, whether it's making a diorama of the solar system or coming up with a big idea for changing the world (his mother's contribution: banning cars from making unsafe U-turns). As for letting him attend the much-anticipated third-grade "space sleepover"? Fuggedaboudit. But when Oliver is drawn into opinionated classmate Crystal's orbit -- she's outraged at ex-planet Pluto's banishment -- and they decide to work together on the diorama, Oliver slowly begins to assert himself. Mills's previous beginning chapter books (see 7 x 9 = Trouble!, rev. 3/02) have been stellar, and this one is no exception. Characterizations are quickly sketched but specific; the Pluto debate supports Oliver's quest for independence quite naturally ("Pluto would be the only planet not inside the space diorama. Oliver would be the only kid not going to the space sleepover"; "the scientists said that a planet needs to 'dominate its neighborhood'"). Full-page pencil illustrations, one per chapter, add warmth and humor. Mills's portrayal of Oliver's helicopter parents is wickedly on target, but ultimately sympathetic: Oliver still has to brush his teeth for two minutes and eschew soda, but he does finally persuade his parents to let him go to the sleepover. How's that for dominating one's neighborhood?

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)