Module 7: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

Summary: Alvin Ho can't talk at school which makes finding friends a bit of a chore. Luckily, Alvin is an expert on planning everything from escaping a fire in the school cafeteria to surviving show and tell so planning to find a friend should be easy. Between escapades such as bringing his father's prized Johnny Astro toy to school (which results in its inevitable destruction) to dealing with his supposedly evil piano teacher, Alvin discovers that his annoying, strange neighbor Flea is really the best friend he could ever need.

Citation:

Look, L., & Pham, L. (2008). Alvin Ho: Allergic to girls, school, and other scary things. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Impressions: My favorite part of this book is the way most of the characters in this book treat Alvin, who is obviously not neurotypical. It is interesting to see neurodiverse characters being treated respectfully and like any neurotypical child. Additionally, I loved the episodic nature of the story and the illustrations.

Reviews:
 Fearful second-grader Alvin Ho has never, not once, said a single word in school. His voice works at home, in the car, on the school bus. "But as soon as I get to school... I am as silent as a side of beef." Like the author's Ruby Lu chapter books (Ruby Lu, Brave and True; Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything, rev. 5/06), this one acknowledges kids' troubles while lightening them in a funny yet respectful way. For instance, Alvin plays cards with the psychotherapist he sees for his anxiety. When he realizes she's letting him win, he says his first words to her -- swear words he's learned from his dad. But they're Shakespearean swear words ('Sit thee on a spit, then eat my sneakers, thou droning beef-witted nut hook'), so she's impressed. There's no miracle cure for Alvin's missing voice, and the book nicely focuses more on his need for friends. At the end, he's still afraid of school, scary movies, etc., but he's made a friend -- and it's (yikes!) a girl. Generously illustrated short chapters include laugh-out-loud descriptions of Alvin's attempt to grow taller (his siblings leave him hanging from a tree branch where he remains forgotten until his mother spots his empty seat at dinner), his fateful decision to bring his dad's beloved childhood Johnny Astro toy for show-and-tell, and his brief membership in a not-so-tough neighborhood gang. Readers will hope Alvin has enough fears to fill yet another small but hugely amusing chapter book.


Brabander, J. M. (2008). [Alvin Ho]. Horn Book Magazine, 84(4), 453.

Library Use: I think this is a good discussion started for issues surrounding children who are neurodiverse like Alvin or eccentric like Flea.