Emma Dilemma and the Two
Nannies Full Text Review(s)
Emma Dilemma and the Two
Nannies
Full
Text Review(s) "The
sequel to Emma Dilemma and the New Nanny (2006) opens with a proposed vacation
for the O’Fallon family’s beloved nanny. The prospect of three weeks
without Annie sends the five children, particularly third-grader Emma, into a
tizzy. She thinks that her parents will prefer the substitute and replace Annie,
which is not too far-fetched given their hiring-and-firing track record.
Bringing to mind an older Junie B. Jones, Hermes’ headstrong but
sympathetic heroine learns from her mistakes, which are not insignificant: Emma
takes a book from her rival without asking and tells a whopper in hopes of
preventing Annie’s holiday. Guided by supportive adults and her own
developing morality, Emma recognizes her missteps and makes amends. Throughout,
the adults are appealing—flawed, loving, and believable—and many
readers will see their own chaotic but loving families in the large, busy
O’Fallon household, complete with pet ferret and dog. - Abby
Nolan"
Booklist, May
15, 2007
"Just when things
seem to be working out for Emma, a new dilemma arises for her family. Annie,
the nanny, announces she’s leaving for a three-week trip to Ireland. Will
Annie really come back? Will a new nanny be hired in the interim? Worse still,
will the new nanny impress Mom and Dad more with her organized, practical ways?
All these fears surface when Mrs. Potts appears for training, and her
no-nonsense approach sends distress signals to Emma. Eager to find a way to
keep Annie from leaving, Emma employs her usual creative strategies, resulting
in unexpected complications through unsettling but unwanted scenarios.
Simultaneously, Emma finds herself in a different sort of pickle, when she
"borrows" a book that gets ripped to shreds by her pet ferret before
she can secretly return it and another classmate is falsely accused of its
theft. Hermes’s second volume in this head-shaking, funny series sheds
light on a child’s naïveté despite her bold and impulsive
actions. Emma’s blunders get her into a bit more trouble this time, yet
she learns to accept Annie’s needs, be less selfish about her own, and
admit her poor judgment’s effect on others. An engaging sequel with a
captivating protagonist.
(Fiction.
8-10)"
Kirkus Reviews,
March 15, 2007
"The
O’Fallons’ nanny has decided to take a three-week vacation to visit
her family in Ireland. Emma, one of five children, is afraid that her parents
will like the substitute better and might replace Annie while she is away. What
follows is her outlandish but heartfelt plan to keep her nanny. A subplot in
which Emma takes a classmate’s book home without permission is strongly
developed as well. When her pet ferret destroys it before it can be returned,
Emma struggles with telling the truth. Eventually, her plans and secrets become
too much and it is Annie who lends her the support she needs to make the right
choices. This simply told, easy chapter book is the second title about Emma, but
it can stand
alone.–Kelly
Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville,
GA"
