Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School

K-Gr 2—The new boy is very different from the other kids in class. Their teacher gives him a desk at the front of the room, next to the narrator, a boy who compares Marshall's ear to a shell, his lips to a tropical fish, and his freckles to birdseed. His white arms are dotted with red mosquito bites, and he sits on the medicine balls and reads during recess. Marshall eats "space food" in silver wrappers at lunch. When he invites everyone to his birthday party at his large, unusual house, his classmates get to know the real Marshall, who plays the piano, studies the sky, and slides down the fireman's pole. The narrator has a great time at the party, accepts Marshall, and is genuinely ready to welcome the next new student. The cartoon-style line art uses bold colors offset with plenty of white detail. Marshall and his classmates have large heads on small bodies, and their faces are quietly expressive. Whether Marshall is physically fragile (restricted activities and special diet) or simply marching to a different drummer (odd clothes and space science) remains unclear. This ambiguity, highlighted by quirky details in the illustrations, will speak to the many youngsters who feel out of place among their classmates. Pair this story with Mary E. Whitcomb's Odd Velvet (Chronicle, 1998) for a beginning-of-school storytime in which everyone is appreciated.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN