Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

Part of Alvin Ho

Illustrated by Leuyen Pham
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
The first book in a hilarious chapter book series that tackles anxiety in a fun, kid-friendly way. Perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers, and fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

A humorous and touching series about facing your fears and embracing new experiences—with a truly unforgettable character—from author Lenore Look and New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor winning illustrator LeUyen Pham.

Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything—elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’ s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him?
 
“Alvin’s a winner.” —New York Post
Lenore Look first discovered a love of writing when she was a young child, creating, packaging, and distributing her own picture books. After a career in journalism, she went on to write many children's books, including Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things and Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural DisastersView titles by Lenore Look

LeUyen Pham is a New York Times bestselling illustrator and the recipient of the Caldecott Honor for Bear Came Along. Her work includes the Freckleface Strawberry series by Julianne Moore, Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio, and the Princess Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale. She lives with her husband and two sons in San Francisco.

View titles by Leuyen Pham
  • WINNER
    Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books
  • WINNER
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER
    Virginia Young Readers Program Award
  • WINNER | 2011
    Virginia Young Readers Program Award
  • WINNER | 2010
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • WINNER | 2008
    National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award
  • WINNER | 2008
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
  • NOMINEE
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2012
    Washington Sasquatch Reading Program
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    California Young Reader Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2010
    Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2010
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • NOMINEE | 2009
    Texas Bluebonnet Master List
“A witty glossary and Pham’s simple yet expressive line drawings perfectly complement this appealing story about the refreshingly original, endearing Alvin.”
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Look's . . . intuitive grasp of children's emotions is rivaled only by her flair for comic exaggeration."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Shares with Diary of a Wimpy Kid the humor that stems from trying to manipulate the world.” —Newsday

About

The first book in a hilarious chapter book series that tackles anxiety in a fun, kid-friendly way. Perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers, and fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

A humorous and touching series about facing your fears and embracing new experiences—with a truly unforgettable character—from author Lenore Look and New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor winning illustrator LeUyen Pham.

Alvin, an Asian American second grader, is afraid of everything—elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’ s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home, Alvin is a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, just like his dad. With the help of his family, can Alvin take on the outside world without letting his fears get the best of him?
 
“Alvin’s a winner.” —New York Post

Author

Lenore Look first discovered a love of writing when she was a young child, creating, packaging, and distributing her own picture books. After a career in journalism, she went on to write many children's books, including Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things and Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural DisastersView titles by Lenore Look

LeUyen Pham is a New York Times bestselling illustrator and the recipient of the Caldecott Honor for Bear Came Along. Her work includes the Freckleface Strawberry series by Julianne Moore, Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio, and the Princess Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale. She lives with her husband and two sons in San Francisco.

View titles by Leuyen Pham

Awards

  • WINNER
    Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books
  • WINNER
    Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
  • WINNER
    Virginia Young Readers Program Award
  • WINNER | 2011
    Virginia Young Readers Program Award
  • WINNER | 2010
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • WINNER | 2008
    National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award
  • WINNER | 2008
    Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
  • NOMINEE
    Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE
    Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2012
    Washington Sasquatch Reading Program
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • NOMINEE | 2011
    California Young Reader Medal
  • NOMINEE | 2010
    Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
  • NOMINEE | 2010
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • NOMINEE | 2009
    Texas Bluebonnet Master List

Praise

“A witty glossary and Pham’s simple yet expressive line drawings perfectly complement this appealing story about the refreshingly original, endearing Alvin.”
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Look's . . . intuitive grasp of children's emotions is rivaled only by her flair for comic exaggeration."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Shares with Diary of a Wimpy Kid the humor that stems from trying to manipulate the world.” —Newsday

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more