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  • The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems by Lauren Myracle
  • Jeannette Hulick
Myracle, Lauren . The Life of Ty: Penguin Problems; illus. by Jed Henry. Dutton, 2013. [128p]. ISBN 978-0-525-42264-8 $12.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-3.

Feeling displaced by his new baby sister and confused by a temperamental pal, seven-year-old Ty Perry decides to act out when a class field trip to the aquarium goes from bad to worse. Slipping behind closed doors at the aquarium, he finds some adorable (and unattended) penguins, and when a penguin chick approaches him, Ty decides to take it home, sneaking it out in his backpack. At home, his older sisters Winnie and Sandra discover the penguin chick, but they agree to sneak it back to the aquarium and keep his secret; meanwhile Ty reluctantly spends some time with new baby Maggie and begins to realize that she might not be so bad after all. Fans of Myracle's Winnie Years series (Eleven, BCCB 3/04, etc.) will recognize Ty and his family and will be pleased to spend some more time with these engaging characters. Ty is a sympathetic kid, and his trials with a new sibling make him particularly relatable to big brothers and sisters. Myracle writes perceptively and authentically from her young narrator's perspective: "'Hug?' I say in a smallish [End Page 522] way. Mom doesn't want to. She doesn't want to hug her own son. I can see it on her face." The penguin-stealing plot is a bit farfetched but it will satisfy the fantasies of animal-coveting kids, while the family and friendship dynamics are entirely believable. Henry's occasional monochromatic illustrations are congenial and sometimes comical, as in the picture of the penguin peeing on the bath mat. This should suit fans of Megan McDonald's Stink series (Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, BCCB 7/05, etc.); it would also make an enjoyable family or classroom readaloud.

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