SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

August 9, 2021 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: I’ll Fix Anthony by Judith Viorst, ill. Arnold Lobel

August 9, 2021 by Betsy Bird   1 comments

Could you publish a book today where a sibling relationship is anything other than sunshine and roses by the story’s conclusion? I say no, and I say the elaborate revenge fantasy of this week’s podcast topic, I’ll Fix Anthony, is a healthy catharsis for some children. Kate, needless to say, disagrees. I won’t go into it, but she had a rough week. Knowing this, I made the inelegant move to present her with this out-of-print now-back-in-print title. Judith Viorst (best known for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and Arnold Lobel (best known for Frog and Toad) got together and created this truly original, one-of-a-kind book. But does that mean it’s any good? Our skilled critics take a deep dive into its legacy today (and come up with some pretty different reactions).

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

For the record, Kate is 100% wrong about the scent of this candle for Dan Yaccarino’s The Longest Storm. It smells LOVELY!

Here’s the candle:

Here’s the book:

The other swag was a Sage Marshmallow lollipop. I only have the description in this picture because, mysteriously, the lollipop disappeared upon entering my home:

My vote: Not enough sage.

Any ideas what this font is? Cause Kate is NOT a fan.

This one threw both of us for a loop. We were under the distinct impression that copyright laws are strong. So how is it that this book is able to not only namecheck Snoopy but do a pretty good late-60s Snoopy drawing as well? How is this legal?

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Kate calls this the anti-vaxxers section of the book. In it, you see “Anthony” go through a series of illnesses. Any guess which one it culminates in?

Our theory is that this is Beavis’s mom, when she was young enough to be in this book. A comparison:

Kate calls this the “Tim Burton bedroom”. I think it’s more Edward Gorey. However you look at it, it’s great.

UPDATE: A friend of mine recently asked if the “Indian headdress” was removed from the edition I saw. And yes . . . yes it definitely was. Observe:

Kate Recommends: Up to Speed on Hulu.

Betsy Recommends: Quinta Brunson in the skit If I Won 2nd Place at the Winter Olympics.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Arnold LobelFuse 8 n' KateI'll Fix AnthonyJudith Viorst

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

June 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Anatole by Eve Titus, ill. Paul Gadone

by Betsy Bird

May 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen, ill. Mark Buehner

by Betsy Bird

May 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood, ill. Don Wood

by Betsy Bird

May 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: Apt. 3 by Ezra Jack Keats

by Betsy Bird

May 2023

Fuse 8 n' Kate: The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Remy Charlip AND Christian Robinson

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Watch The Yarn LIVE with Kate DiCamillo at ALA!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock by Jesús Trejo, ill. Eliza Kinkz

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Teen Titans | Series Review

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

More Mock-Newbery Titles Needed: Share June Suggestions Now

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

“Enough with the chicken noises.” A guest post by Sean Ferrell

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Fantasy Award Contenders Layer Identity and Imagination | Pondering Printz

SLJ’s Reviews of the 2022 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Longlisters

SLJ’s Reviews of the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Longlisters

"In the Margins" Committee Announces 2020 Book Awards Honoring Marginalized & BIPOC Youth

Presenting the NCTE 2021 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. DanB says

    August 11, 2021 at 12:47 am

    The first rubella vaccine was only licensed in 1969, and the MMR was released in 1971. Mumps vaccines weren’t commonly administered to children before then. So no, not anti-vaxxers, just life in 1969.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023