Melonhead

Kelly, K. (2009). //Melonhead.// New York, NY: Yearling.

Adam Melon, or Melonhead as his friends call him, has a knack for finding trouble, but he always has good intentions. Melonhead is need of a science project and experiments with many ideas until he finds a winner.. But in true Melonhead fashion, trouble is not far behind.
 * Summary:**


 * Grade Level:** 3-5
 * Reading Level:** 4


 * Standards for the 21st Century Learner:**

Adam Melon, Melonhead to his friends, brings his own brand of logic to his endeavors. The 10-year-old concocts grand plans that never quite come off as intended. His climb up a tree requires the Jaws of Life to free him, a first for the Washington, DC, fire department. His essay on head lice wins him the Homework of the Week award and his mother's consternation. When Adam and his friend Sam catch a snake, Sam's baby sister carts it around at night and drops it in her parents' bed. Adam struggles with the right idea for his science project; his experiments with plaster of Paris (never pour it down a drain), diapers, and mosquitoes produce typical Melonhead disasters. The final invention will entertain and educate readers. This is the first book in the series, a spin-off of the author's "Lucy Rose" books (Random). It is laugh-out-loud funny, rivaling Stink and Fudge in its troublemaker quotient. Adam never quite understands consequences until it is too late, but young readers will see potential trouble ahead while appreciating his ingenuity. The capital setting and a unique cast of secondary characters round out this strong chapter-book offering.-Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT
 * School Library Journal Review 2009: (from Mackin)**