SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

April 29, 2013 by Travis Jonker

Review: Arnie the Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit by Laurie Keller

April 29, 2013 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

Bowling Alley Bandit (The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut)
By Laurie Keller

Henry Holt

ISBN: 9780805090765
$12.99
Grades 2-4
In Stores June 4, 2013

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

*Best New Book*

Find it at:
Schuler Books | Your Library

Oh, the hazards of bringing a picture book character to the chapter book format. For every success, there are a multitude of vacuous cash grabs (I won’t name names, but you definitely know ’em (struggling…to…not…name…names)). Here’s a note to others hoping to make the picture-book-to-chapter-book jump: get a load of Bowling Alley Bandit. Arnie the Doughnut makes the transition to 128 pages with seamless glee.

When we last left the chocolate frosted and candy-sprinkled Arnie, he was settling into a happy life as Mr. Bing’s doughnut-dog (this is indeed as absurd as it sounds). Mr. Bing is a bowling fanatic and Arnie has come to love the lanes, tagging along on Tuesday league nights. But on championship night, Mr. Bing suddenly can’t hit a pin. Something is up, and Arnie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before the championship is lost.

The plot is snappy, but isn’t always center stage. Arnie steps into and out of the story, frequently going on humorous jags that never feel like tiresome digression. Readers will wonder what’s coming next – a karaoke sing-along? A breakdown of proper bowling technique? A well-placed fart joke? Keller’s everything-including-the-kitchen-sink approach ensures that there is never a dull moment. The frenetic pace and non-stop humor will suck in many a reluctant reader.

I should say here that Keller’s Arnie the Doughnut is quite possibly my favorite picture book of all time. It’s also one of my go-to read alouds. The only problem is that in order to be effective, I usually must skip the multitude of asides that fill the margins and stick to the main text. Little did I realize that the chapter book format would suit the Arnie style so well – here many of the asides are expanded and worked right into the story. The transition to this longer format doesn’t feel forced.

The black and white illustrations are key. They’re everywhere – many pages more artwork than text. This liberal use of illustration (including creative fonts and word balloons) immediately sets this book apart from most lower level chapter books. It’s more Bad Kitty than, say Stink, but it goes even more artwork crazy than Nick Bruel’s series. At times it comes across as a 128 page black and white picture book. I’m hoping for more adventures, but given the time this one must have taken, I won’t be tapping my foot and looking at my watch too quickly.

My wife astutely noted that this book would be a perfect for fans of Dan Gutman’s My Weird School series. I agree. Bowling Alley Bandit not only shares that series’s wacky sense of humor, but also its ability to appeal to both boys and girls.

It turns out Arnie has range. This wonderfully ridiculous (see also: worthy) foray into chapter book land will please fans and make a bunch of new ones. In terms of circulation, this book is going to hit the ground running.

Review copy from the publisher.

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Henry HoltMacmillan

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent (First in a Two-Part Series!)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early June 2025 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

What’s In My Writer’s Toolbox, Part 2, a guest post by Michael P. Spradlin

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Best Young Adult Books 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Nonfiction Elementary 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Picture Books 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Nonfiction Middle to High School 2024 | SLJ Best Books

SLJ’s 2024 Best Books Cover Unveiled. Download a PDF of the Full List.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Margie Culver says

    April 29, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Fantastic review, Travis. I can’t wait to see Arnie in his first chapter book. We can all use more hilarity in our reading and days.

    • Travis Jonker says

      April 29, 2013 at 9:03 am

      Thanks, Margie! Such a fun book that I can see making a splash with kids. Hilarity in spades.

  2. Anne Grisenthwaite says

    April 29, 2013 at 10:45 am

    HOORAY!! I am also a HUGE fan of Arnie the Doughnut. Can’t wait until this comes out. 🙂

  3. Colby Sharp says

    April 29, 2013 at 6:57 pm

    I have heard that more Arnie chapter books are in the works…

    • Travis Jonker says

      April 29, 2013 at 9:16 pm

      Mr. Sharp with the inside scoop – this is good to hear.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • 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
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • 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
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    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 © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025