Dewey Fairchild, Parent Problem Solver

by Lorri Horn, Agnieszka Grochalska (Illustrations)

Pub. date:  Aug. 1, 2017

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

At first Dewey Fairchild seems like a normal 5th grader, but Dewey has a special talent. Dewey’s speciality is helping children deal with problems they have with their parents.  He will tackle any problem: overprotective mom, germaphobia mom, nose picking father.  Dewey loves helping other students with their parents, and he is very good at it.  He approaches each problem with the professionalism of a private eye with personal interviews, military time, fake glasses, observations, and, of course, cookies.  Dewey’s team insures he will always be successful.  The only problem Dewy has is he can’t seem to solve the problem he has with his own parents.

What an enjoyable and funny book.  Believe me, I belly laughed more times than I could count. In fact, sometimes when I think about the book, I laugh out loud.  The humor in this book is at times cheesy, but all ages will love it.  Dewey is such a lovable character.  He reminds me of Nate the Great because of his seriousness and how he handles his cases.  Children will really like this book because it is relatable and has situations that they will be familiar to them.   My favorite character, besides Dewey, is Clara.  She is Dewey’s assistant and the book would not be the same without her.  Her cookies are so very important to the story and the fact that treats the children with respect will make her a reader's favorite too. Readers fall instantly fall in love with her.  The ending of the book is open so there could be a sequel.  I know this will be a favorite “pick” of your readers.

Dewey Fairchild, Parent Problem Solver would be a perfect read aloud for any classroom.  In fact, it is on my list to share with my 6th graders at the beginning of next year.  The class could become “Problem Solvers” by helping others with issues they have with their parents.  The teacher could develop “problems” or the students can make their own.  They can be solved by committee or by individual problem solvers.  You could even expand to problems with siblings, pets, neighbors, other students….  Classes could read both Nate the Great and Dewey Fairchild to compare and contrast: technology, methods, success…  Activities could be expanded into cooking.  There are so many different cookies mentioned in the story.  The class could make cookies and then graph favorites, write reviews, practice descriptive writing, invent new recipes, and study cooking measurements,

Holy tarter sauce, you will love this book.