I also read this book with my intervention class. They enjoyed it very much.In this hilarious book, Arlo is determined to beat a world record, and when he hears the word “can’t” he looses it. He made some bets he probably couldn’t keep, even after his dad and the principal made them off-limits.Arlo’s determination draws friends and even his pesky sister into the world-record breaking attempts. They set a specific date for the world record breaking performance and train almost daily until then. Arlo learns the Positive Brain Approach from his friend Ben to get himself in gear to beat the record.Did I mention all of their records are crazy food records? Arlo has to eat seventeen bananas within a very short time frame. One friend has to eat lemons – whole – in a short time frame, and the other has to eat so many quarts of ice cream in a short time. Kerry, Arlo’s sister, was the only one who selected a world record attempt that did not involve eating food.At first, Arlo’s attitude about his sister is VERY “ugh, sister” like, but as the novel progresses and he and Kerry spend more time together, I think she grows on him a bit. By the end, he’s cheering her on in her world record attempt. Arlo also grows in his relationship with his older brother, who he has a strong bet with, and his brother’s girlfriend turns out to be Arlo’s cheerleader.Arlo also makes an enemy at school – the nerd of his class, who is also a snotty snitch. Arlo is in love with a girl in his class (think wind blown hair, shining glow with a halo, crystalline music playing when he thinks about or sees this girl), and she winds up being the subject of a bet that brings it crumbling down around Arlo’s ears.My kids loved this book, and I did too. I highly recommend this book to anyone 4th grade and up.
