The Best of Iggy is a delightfully funny, and witty book. The narrative centers around only a few days in the life of Iggy, an elementary student. Much of the action of the book is taken up by things that Iggy does wrong, and the situations are hilariously outlandish, and yet so entirely possible that they are believable.

This book is a quick, entertaining ready for early middle-grade students, and it was lighthearted fun even for an adult reader. Iggy is a lovable character, and children will likely find much to identify with in his life and demeanor. He is clearly one of the “bad kids” in his class, one of the troublemakers, but the reader sees things from his point of view and sees how desperately he is trying to be good. It just doesn’t work out for him. Young readers who face constant pressure to perform, behave better, and be near perfection can find encouragement in the character of Iggy as they, too, strive to be “the good boy”.

This book is the right length to keep children entertained, and the language is simple and the plot fast-paced. It is a good choice for elementary readers who are looking for a book full of laughs, and along the way they may just find some lessons about being kind to others and accepting yourself as you are. 

Review of an Advance Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  One verbal threat; one character kicks another; two characters collide with minor injury.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

None

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None