Transcontinental Summer Reading

La Mammouth Académie

La Mammouth Académie

Recalling a favorite book from childhood is easy; trickier is remembering your younger self’s exact reaction to it. We canvassed young readers from across the globe to find out what they thought of their latest summer read. Review the rest of the series here.

Name: Julie
Age: Eight
Location: France
Reading selection: La Mammouth Académie, by Neal Layton

What was the book about?

This book is about a mammoth named Oscar who is going to school and finds funny footprints, with two feet instead of four. One day, when Miss Mammoth is teaching that humans are the most dangerous creatures, suddenly the young mammoth looks out the window and sees humans! So he decides to go look himself.

What was your favorite part?

My favorite part was when the mammoth was taken by a human.

Why did you decide to read this book?

I read this book because my friend gave it to me as a gift.

What do you think happens after the end of the book?

Everybody is happy because the humans are gone.

If you could meet the author, what would you want to ask him, and why?

Have you ever seen a mammoth? I would ask that question because I have never seen one.

Did any bad things happen in the book? Why did they happen?

Oscar got a cold because he was searching for footprints for too long in the snow.

Which character in this book was most like you?

The owl, because it doesn't get into trouble.

Fill in the blanks:

I like books better than math, but I like my family more than books.

If you were writing this book, how would you have ended it?

I would make it so that that the classes at the school are over and everyone goes on vacation.

What do you think was the hardest part about writing this book for the author?

I think the maps in the book were the hardest part.

biopic

TMN Editor Bridget Fitzgerald lives, works, and generally makes merry in San Francisco. More by Bridget Fitzgerald