Book Review: The Sloppy Copy Slipup

Last week, when I headed to the library unaccompanied, I noticed a special shelf for books which have been nominated for the Young Hoosier Book Award. For this book, The Sloppy Copy Slipup, the author's name, DyAnne DiSalvo, sounded vaguely familiar and the illustrations felt similar to those of M. Sarah Klise (I'm very fond of her work!). I searched the author's website, but didn't really recognize any books as ones I've recently read, so I'm assuming that I have noticed her name on books which she has illustrated (since she has illustrated for some illustrious names - Mary Pope Osborne, Patricia Reilly Giff, and Beverly Cleary).

This is a good book to recommend to teachers of grades 2 through 5. It fits well with curriculum on newspapers/newsletters or alongside writing units. Reluctant readers will certainly be drawn in by the visual appeal of this book.

The simple story follows Brian Higman as he tries to talk his way out of a zero when he fails to turn in a required rough draft or "sloppy copy" of a paper all-but-written in his head. Brian's father publishes a newsletter, so Brian tends to think from a newsletter angle. He has a great story to tell and the book encourages students to get their great stories down on paper. You can't argue with a book that tells an engaging story, has interesting illustrations and encourages kids to write!