Review - Fancy Nancy: The Show Must Go On

Fancy Nancy: The Show Must Go On (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Ted Enik
Date: 2009
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Nancy and her partner for the talent show are very different. They don't have any of the same talents. How will they ever come up with an act?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

There's going to be a talent show at Nancy's school, and she and her friend Bree have it all figured out. They're going to be partners, and they've already planned out their act and costumes. But then Ms. Glass tells everyone that she'll be assigning partners, and Nancy gets paired with Lionel. They don't seem to have any talents in common. Lionel doesn't sing or dance; his talents extend to wiggling his ears and balancing a spoon on his nose. Unfortunately, Nancy doesn't share his talents. They schedule a playdate so they can get to know each other better and maybe come up with something they can do together. When Nancy sees what's in Lionel's room, she gets a great idea...

This is a typical Fancy Nancy story with our heroine solving a problem. I've encountered Lionel in other books, but I wonder if this was his first appearance; there seems to be a bit more of an introduction to his character here. I like how Nancy works to solve her problem, rather than just complain about it. They do end up coming up with a good act, and Nancy makes herself another friend.

As usual, the illustrations are cute. The sequence of pictures showing Nancy and Lionel playing together is especially fun. There are also neat little touches foreshadowing Nancy and Lionel's eventual act for the talent show.

This is another nice Fancy Nancy for your collection!

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5