Wild Cards (Orca Echoes)

Gr 1-4--The boys at Matt's school are crazy for Monster Zap, a popular television show and card game. Matt and his friend Tyler get in a fight over a prized Gross Eyeball card. The principal soon bans the cards from school, declaring that they are a bad influence. Matt and his friends are distraught and try to come up with a plan to still play the game at school. Matt tries drawing the cards, but things get out of hand when other students create a card that insults the principal. He realizes that he needs to work together with the school principal to find a solution that not only helps his friends but also benefits the school at large. This is a story about problem-solving and creating ways to make one's environment a better place. It reads like a simpler version of Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda. The writing is aimed at emerging or struggling readers, and the content is high-interest.