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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing Author: Molly B. Burnham Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 3-6 Genre/Type of Book: Realistic Fiction/Chapter Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: It had positive reviews. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Dottie needs her bedroom back and her treehouse built, all it takes is a coffee can to derail all her plans.
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Review:
The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing centers around a ten year old named Dottie and her family. Dottie had been leading a pretty quiet life with her parents, wild little sister, and best friend Sam, until Grandpa Walter showed up to stay awhile. Grandpa Walter is missing his wife, Dottie Grandma Ima, and arrives at their house carrying a Chock Full o’Nuts coffee can that he says is holding Grandma Ima’s ashes. He communicates with the coffee can as if it were actually Grandma Ima, and he and the can take over Dottie’s bedroom.
As someone who grew up in a multigenerational household, I felt this book rang true! While I thankfully never had to contend with a grandparent talking to a coffee can, the book portrayed what it is like to experience death and complications with elder care as a child fairly accurately, and with humor. Throughout the story, Dottie is torn between wanting to love and respect Grandpa Walters and his grieving process, and her desire to get her life and her room back.
I enjoyed this book! It balanced a sad story with truly funny moments, making it a good overall read. There is rich vocabulary, thanks to Dottie’s friend Sam, who loves learning new words. I would recommend it for elementary school libraries, as I think the story reads a bit young for older middle school students.
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Find resources for The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
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