George, the Best of All!

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

George is a little plastic figure who seems to have a life of his own.
He zooms away from Katie and Mackenzie’s driveway on a three-wheeled
bicycle, and promptly crashes into a pothole just as a reporter for the
Scarborough Windows newspaper snaps a picture of it for a story. The
crash causes George to see stars and imagine that he is riding a white
horse and becomes famous. In the days that follow, George is placed in
various situations that make it clear that what he visualized after the
crash is coming true. After all of his exciting adventures and his
encounter with fame, George returns home to realize that the best
experience is to have friends and to be a friend.

This third book in the “George” series continues the action of
George Most Wanted (2005). Its imaginative little story is told in a
sophisticated, understated style. The language is formal and timeless,
giving the story a slightly surreal feel, appropriate to the magical
subject of a seemingly inanimate object who somehow comes to life for
both children and adults. Although the story touches on some
thought-provoking issues of modern life, such as the meaning of success
and fame, this beginning chapter book, with its clear vocabulary and
sentence structure, is very accessible for early readers. Its many
whimsical line drawings nicely illustrate the text. Recommended.