Ben rides on

Title:

Ben rides on

Author:

Davies, Matt (Matthew Keiland Parry), 1966- author.

Summary:

Ben rides his new bicycle the very, very long way to school but Adrian Underbite, perhaps the world's largest third-grader, takes the bike anyway and later, when Ben finds Adrian in trouble, he must decide whether or not to help the larcenous bully.

Audience:

AD730L lexile

Sentence length: 3 (medium) Word frequency: 2 (easy) Lexile.

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 29 cm

Genre:

Picture books.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader LG 3.6 .5.

Subject Term:

Bicycles -- Juvenile fiction.

Bullying -- Juvenile fiction.

Theft -- Juvenile fiction.

Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Roaring Brook Press,

Publication Date:

2013

ISBN:

9781596437944

Publication Information:

New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2013.

Call Number:

P DAVIES

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003503383	Picture Books	DAVIES	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Ben loves his new bike. In fact, he loves it so much he even likes riding to school (especially if he can take the long way around)! That is, until an encounter with the local bully, Adrian Underbite, leaves Ben bike-less. When Ben discovers where his bike actually is, the reader is in for a dramatic, and literal, cliffhanger.

Will Ben ever be able to get his bike back?

Find out in this hilarious and tender tale by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Matt Davies.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013

A Neal Porter Book

Author Notes

Born in London, England, Matt Davies moved to the U.S. in 1983. He was the recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons, the inaugural 2004 Herblock Prize and the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He and his wife, Lucy, live in Wilton, Connecticut, with their three children. Ben Rides On is his first book for young readers.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-"Now that he had the bicycle of his dreams, Ben Lukin loved going to school." And what adventures he has en route: tunneling through water pipes, zipping over aqueducts, leaping over a stream bed filled with sharks. Does this sound like a circuitous route to class? You bet it is. Once he arrives at Watson Elementary, Ben must face Adrian Underbite, world's largest third grader. This witty and wonderful story revolves around Ben, Adrian, and Ben's bike and has a lot to say-in sometimes delightfully sophisticated words-about bullying, charity, and redemption. Davies's cartoons are simply the bees' knees. Facial expressions, gestures, postures, perspectives: all conspire, with a ragged, raucous elegance, to make Ben Rides On an exceptional, and exceptionally likable, tale.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Illustration comes naturally to Davies-his editorial cartoons won him a Pulitzer Prize in 2004-and this satisfying tale of a boy, his beloved bicycle, and the bully who steals it is a fine debut. When the marvelously lunkheaded Adrian Underbite takes Ben's bicycle for a joyride and hurtles off a cliff, Ben leans over the edge and sees Adrian clinging to a tiny branch. "How extraordinarily terrible," Ben thinks, though his toothy grin conveys quite another emotion. But Ben's conscience smites him, and he goes back to rescue Adrian with results that blend decency and humor. Davies's figures have string-bean bodies and bobbly heads, and they dash headlong through the spreads. A crow sidekick provides extra mirth: "Hauling the big galoot proved to be a challenge," Davies writes about the cliff rescue, "but Ben pulled Adrian to safety (with some help from a friend)." The crow appears next to Ben, pulling for all it's worth; after its magnificent exertion, it topples over, exhausted. A story about doing the right thing that pumps up the laughs and evades smarminess. Ages 4-7. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.