Author: Shelley Johannes
Illustrator: Shelley Johannes
© Date: 2020
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 221
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, every page layout has an illustration
Publisher Recommended Age: 7-10 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No
Summary from Book: Operation Upside has grown to a team of three: Beatrice, her best friend Lenny, and her mysterious neighbor Sam. With several successful missions under their belts, the trio is preparing for another great week when the unthinkable occurs-an imposter delivers an imitation Upside Award!
As Beatrice hunts for clues to the culprit, Lenny suspects one of their own. Will they solve the mystery before Operation Upside is ruined once and for all? Or is the situation much bigger than any of them imagines?
Page Pig Thoughts: I adore Beatrice Zinker as a character and the stories that she is in. Beatrice is always willing to stay true to herself and her alternate viewpoints. She also does not give up hope of a positive way for things to turn out, even when times are rather tough. The kids in class are respectful of one another, even if they have their own ways of doing things.
This particular book is fun, not just for breakdancing Beatrice, but because Beatrice is able to put trust in the good side of someone that she does not know well, Sam. Beatrice creatively finds solutions to prove Sam’s innocence and determine who else would make an Upside Award. The story has a happy friendship ending and the idea that Beatrice and Lenny started, Operation Upside, catches on. Which shows how one good idea can spread and leave happy people in its wake.
Family Unit: Beatrice lives at home with her mother, father, and baby brother Henry. She shares a room with her older sister, Kate.
Conflict/Social Issues:
- Lenny believes that Sam may be the one that sabotaged Operation Upside by leaving an imposter award for someone.
- Beatrice’s teacher, Mrs. Tamarack, is still harsh on Beatrice and her upside down ways.
Positive Items:
- Beatrice believes in Sam and is willing to hold her opinion, even when Lenny believes otherwise and wants to confront Sam.
- Leaving secret awards to say nice things about someone has caught on. The kids making the awards feel good. The people receiving the awards feel good.
Items of Interest:
- Beatrice goes looking for clues and misses the bus. Her family gets super concerned about Beatrice’s safety. Her parents ground her and tell her that she can’t wear her beloved ninja suit for awhile. The principal talks with Beatrice about the importance of following order and rules.
- Wes loans out his beloved art supplies to other kids. The markers all get returned.
- Chloe still wants Beatrice to be “normal” animals for the pretend veterinary game at lunch. Beatrice is only “normal” when it helps her search for clues, otherwise she is content finding new animals to break the veterinary game rules (cassiopea jellyfish, anyone?).
- Wes and Beatrice work together to find clues for who leaves the award in the veterinary clinic. They have their own friendship. Wes enjoys guessing what upside down animals Beatrice wants to be for the veterinary game, and Beatrice is intrigued in what rocks and other things Wes turns up.
- Grace goes to the orthodontist. When she arrives back at school, one girl admires the color of rubber bands that Grace chose (purple). Then Grace smiles so that other girls can admire the new bands.
- Beatrice is rather embarrassed when she realizes that Sam told her mother all about Beatrice, but Beatrice has not mentioned Sam to her parents at all.
- Lenny realizes that she was too quick to blame Sam. Lenny feels that her jealousy of the time that Beatrice gets to spend across the street from Sam may have clouded her opinion.
- In the end, Beatrice and Lenny get to know Sam even better and have fun together.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- Beatrice Zinker – Upside-down Thinker
- Beatrice Zinker – Upside-down Thinker: Incognito
- Beatrice Zinker – Upside-down Thinker: Sabotage