Laughing and Learning with Elvis

No, this is not a blog post about Elvis the singer.  {Sorry!}  It's just a quick post to let you know about the most hilarious book that I have read in a long, long time, Elvis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee.

I first heard about this book from the (also very hilarious) Alison at Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'.  She raved about how funny her kids thought the book was and even had them write book recommendations for her blog post.  I was sold!

If you are a fan of the book Wonder, you will also love Elvis.  Here's the review from Amazon:

From Jenny Lee, writer on the Disney Channel show Shake It Up!, the number-one-rated kids' show in the country, this feel-good middle-grade novel is about a sickly boy whose life is turned upside down when he gets a therapy dog . . . who can talk!Benji Wendell Barnsworth is a small ten-year-old boy with a big personality. Born premature, Benji is sickly, accident-prone, and at the hospital so often he even has his own punch card. So when Benji wakes up one day from a particularly bad spell, his doctors take the radical step of suggesting he get a therapy dog. But when a massive crate arrives at Benji's house, out walks a two-hundred-pound Newfoundland who can talk! And boy, is he bossy.

If you are looking for a fall-off-your-seat-laughing, heartwarming story of courage, perseverance and friendship, this is it!  Elvis and the Underdogs would make a great read aloud, and it can also be used to teach literary devices such as point-of-view (the story is told in 1st person) and inferring.  Each chapter begins with a really cute illustration that could be used to infer what will happen:

I can't wait to get back from spring break to share this heartwarming and hilarious story with my 4th graders.  I'm linking up today with the very talented Amanda at Teaching Maddeness to share this must-read chapter book.  I hope you will check it out!

Happy Reading!