The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds under Frogs

Written and Illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

Good news! The queen of board books, Leslie Patricelli (Toot is my favorite), has branch out into middle grade fiction. In her first novel, she introduces the reader to adorable fourth graders Lily and Darby. Lily is painfully shy, which is compounded by her attendance. Darby is afraid of nothing. Her rather large family lives at the other end of a small lake in a ”haunted house.” Lily and Darby immediately hang out together, finding small frogs and talking about ghosts. The two could not be so different and yet so similar at the same time. They form a club named after a ghostly pirate. Their club pledge is based on the Pledge of Allegiance, with best best buds under frogs. When Jill, an old, bossy friend of Darby’s, returns to their school, the three of them find more creative ways of getting into trouble. It’s all about learning to say no to Jill.

The author has stuck with the delightful illustrations and raucous humor that make her board books so great. But she’s added a lot of dimension with the concerns of fourth graders and also of the new kid in school. This would be a great beginning novel for a reluctant reader.

  • Best BudsTitle: The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds under Frogs
  • Author/Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli
  • Published: Candlewick, 2018
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
  • Grade Level: 3 to 5
  • Genre: Coming of Age, Friendship, Humor
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-5104-6

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