I have a theory. A theory about why boy v. girl books are so popular with the youngsters. It goes like this: When you’re a kid you find that sometimes the only way to feel real and included in a group is to point out the other kids that (for whatever reason) cannot be included. Now kids cannot help but notice too that human beings are neatly divided into two groups: men and women. By dint of your sex you instantly belong to a group of like-gendered people. And if you band together against the [...]

In a climate where you can't throw a dinner roll without hitting five or six new series, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) is a middle grade school story (and first in a series) that stands out with humor, believability, and a subtle touch.4th grade is about to begin and Bobby Ellis-Chan is feeling uneasy. Third grade was a disaster, his friend Holly Harper has started hanging around with girlie-girl Jillian Zarr, and his ex-pro football player father (a.k.a. "The Freezer") is having a tough time w [...]

An excellent children's book. It was funny, warm, and well written. It never dragged and would be understandable for someone at the reading level of the book.

Loved meeting Bobby! The characters will feel like old friends to the reader and they'll love the realistic storyline.

It's unfortunate that I read this over the course of 2 months, because it really is such a quick read, and I'm sure it would be even more enjoyable if read it in one sitting. So, from what I remember about the whole thingIt was really, really funny. I love it when children's books are genuinely funny, and don't just resort to potty humor for a quick laugh. I was impressed by how smoothly the two friends became "enemies," because it would have seemed odd and out-of-place if the change was so abru [...]

Bobby and Holly have been secret best friends since they were little kids. It's a secret because at their elementary school, boys and girls do not hang out together. But things start to change when they enter the fourth grade. Holly starts trying out some girly things and Bobby feels a bit left behind. And then Bobby accidentally starts a battle of the sexes. Move over, Andrew Clements. This story of boys and girls and friendships and school is pitch perfect. The supporting characters are divers [...]

Bobby and Holly are best friends at home but can't be seen talking to each other at school where girls and boys DO NOT play together - ewww cooties! When Holly becomes friends with a girly girl, the dynamics of her friendship with Bobby change until the two are at war. Bobby struggles not only with the sadness of losing a friend, but also the embarrassment of having a stay-at-home dad who used to be a famous football player, and the wish for a dog instead of a goldfish. Funny, authentic characte [...]

This book may appeal to my fifth grade students for the mere fact that it is a story where the boys go up against the girls, which always seems to be popular. But the fact that Bobby, the main character, and his friends are only in the fourth grade may turn off some of my fifth grade students who seem to think they are so far away from fourth grade. (Even though they are not.) The story itself though is perfect for a third or fourth grade student.

Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat – Realistic Fiction, 3rd grade and up: Really loved the story. Beautiful friendship story packed with real-life turmoil. It has been a long time since I cried over a fish, but I certainly did this time. The tree hugging incident was my favorite part of this book! Just beautiful… This is a perfect book to partner with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.

This is a great book! This book has some really funny and also touching moments and the characters are written naturally. Bobby and his family are very endearing and funny. I especially liked his dad and his attempts at being homemaker after retiring from professional football. I highly recommend it to parents and kids - what an enjoyable read!

a fun girls vs. boys novel that realistically and sensitively covers the issues of co-ed friendships and the death of a pet. funny and sweet.

I've been reading a lot of books for 3rd graders this summer - and sometimes that can be a bit fluffy and a bit boring. I almost stopped reading this - I'm trying to get the classroom ready and have the starting of school on my mind - but I am glad I didn't. This book is full of the boy-girl tension of school and will be wonderful to read together and talk about. Now I'm wondering should I get multiple copies for a book club, should I get a class set for a family read-aloud Bobby and Holly's fri [...]

Confession. I picked this book up solely on the merits of the illustrator, Dan Santat. However, it didn't take long for me to be entirely absorbed by the story of this delightful fourth grade boy and his many dilemmas. I'm sure both boys and girls of this age will enjoy the story and I would even recommend it as a read-aloud at home or in the classroom.

Cute book, colorful characters. Very realistic about boy/girl interactions in upper elementary grades.

I came across this book while volunteering in my kids' elementary school library. In the cover illustration, Bobby looked like maybe he could be Asian, and with the author's name being Lisa Yee, I decided to check it out for myself. I'm always interested in multicultural books for kids! It took a while for Bobby's character to be fleshed out. His age (9) was not revealed until page 16, and even though we learn right away that his last name is Ellis-Chan, we don't find out for sure until page 49 [...]

I recently went to the 2010 Children's Literature Council Spring Workshop. The theme this year was "Old Passions - New Technologies: Children's and Young Adult Literature in a Web 2.0 World." I had a great time listening to the speakers (who included Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, one of the co-founders of !), but more importantly, like all good workshops, I was inspired to go and investigate some of the ideas mentioned in the presentations. One of the speakers showed us Lisa Yee's blog. I've added i [...]

Summary: ()Bobby and Holly are friends. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the two take care not to advertise the fact to their OTHER friends. Every day they walk a little ways to school and every day they split up before they arrive so that no one will see them walking together. The trouble between them, however, begins when Holly starts doing all these girly activities, like straightening her hair and doing her nails. Things pretty much go downhill from there. Bobby runs again Holl [...]

Pages: 170Lexile: 650/ Ages 8-11Summary:Bobby is not your average 4th grader. He doesn't like sports, even though his Dad played pro-football, and his sister is the quarterback of her school team. He loves to draw and go rock hunting with his friend Holly. That is rightup until 4th grade his best friend is Hollya girl. However, once 4th grade starts, Bobby is surprised to see Holly hanging around with just girls, especially the most popular girl in the grade: Jillian. Holly stops coming by Bobby [...]

This book was a nice balance of humor and drama. It deals with identity, relationships, fairness and the passing of a pet. All themes are addressed in a way that children in second or third grade will relate to. Although most kids aren't quite as Anti-Boy or Anti-Girl, this aspect of the book could lead to some thoughtful discussions. It may also provide some consolation to a child who has recently lost a pet. Bobby is a fully-developed character who has flaws, talents, dreams and doubts. Female [...]

Bobby and Holly have been friends forever - something that they don't broadcast at school. Why? Well, because boys and girls aren't supposed to be friends, right? As they start their 4th grade year together, things start to change. Holly seems to be getting more interested in clothing and hairstyles and such. And she's hanging out with the "girly girls". But that's okay, because Bobby and Holly are still friends away from school. Holly even gives Bobby the goldfish that she wins at the fair. But [...]

To sum up this book, I would say it is about relationships. Told from Bobby's point of view, we experience his struggles as he deals with family, friends, and pets. Bobby and Holly have been friends since pre-K, but as they enter 4th-grade their relationship becomes more complicated as changing feelings about the opposite sex enter the picture. The relationship between Bobby and Holly is well-written and feels real. There is humor, humiliation and sadness as Bobby unwittingly leads his class int [...]

I thought this was the cutest book. When I told my students about it they were telling me similar stories that had happened to them in elementary school. Bobby and Holly grew up best friends. When they reached fourth grade Bobby realized that Holly had started hanging out with someone new. Now it was no longer cool for the girls to be seen talking to the boys and the boys talking to the girls. Bobby ends up with a fish named Rover, and comes home each afternoon and tells his problems to the fish [...]

Bobby Ellis-Chan’s year as a fourth grader is filled with events he didn’t plan on happening. Instead of owning a dog (he has allergies), he’s given a goldfish. At a school field trip, Bobby hugs the Koloff tree, the stickiest and smelliest tree in the world, and gets stuck to it. However, the main event is when he accidentally starts a classroom war of boys vs. girls when he runs for student council representative against his long time best friend (who happens to be a girl) Holly Harper. [...]

Bobby and Holly have been best friends since preschool. But things are changing. Last year Bobby and Holly realized that they couldn't be best friends at school any more. This year Holly seems to have become 'a girl!' She straightened her hair, wants to so shopping for clothes instead of their annual rock hunting outing, and is even hanging out with Jillian Zarr, the leader of the girls' wolf pack. Bobby only has his fish, Rover, for comfort. Then Bobby and Holly end up running against each othe [...]

Recommended grades 2-4. RL 650. Bobby and Holly were always good friends-- until the awkward third grade when they had to downgrade to secret friends because boys and girls shouldn't be friends.At the start of the new year, Holly starts wearing dresses and painting her nails. Seems she started hanging out with girls over summer vacation. And Bobby finds himself stuck with boys that make fun of girls and do boy things.Eventually Bobby and Holly find each other at odds because of their new friends [...]

Bobby is not your average 4th grader. He doesn't like sports, even though his Dad played pro-football, and his sister is the quarterback of her school team. He loves to draw and go rock hunting with his friend Holly. That is rightup until 4th grade his best friend is Hollya girl. However, once 4th grade starts, Bobby is surprised to see Holly hanging around with just girls, especially the most popular girl in the grade: Jillian. Holly stops coming by Bobby's house and they do not walk to school [...]

What could possibly go wrong as Bobby enters the 4th grade? Just about everything. He wants a dog but gets a fish. His best friend Holly is becoming all girly thanks to Jillian Zarr. His ex-football hero dad is a PTA lady. He gets stuck on the stinky Koloff tree during a field trip. His campaign for student council rep goes disastrously wrong. But there are some good things, too. Bobby teaches his pet fish Rover to do tricks. And most of all, even if Holly is getting girly, she turns out to stil [...]

This is a great book for young readers especially 4th graders like Bobby. This book is about the difficulties of maintaining friendships between opposite gender friends at this age. The book is laugh out loud funny especially Bobby's father The Freezer and Bobby's school field trip where he ends up stuck to a tree. This is a great book for readers who are dealing with pressures to end friendships with their opposite gendered friends. It is also a good book for readers who have recently lost a pe [...]

I really loved this book and would recommend it to all students, both boys and girls. The author has a great way of connecting the reader with the life of a fourth grade student. I found this book to be witty, entertaining, realistic, as well as morally accurate. The main character Bobby makes the occasional mistake, but is able to own up to them, and apologize – a great lesson for elementary students to learn. Both boys and girls will find they are able to identify with the main characters, a [...]

Fun little adventure for middle-grade readers. Any kid who's ever messed up will identify with Bobby, who tries real hard but just can't get it right most of the time. His dad is a former pro football player, but still manages to embarrass him all the time. And he's super jealous of his best friend's new friends, somewhat stupidly.But they work together and figure it out. Good job, kids. You're going to have much more important things to worry about in the future, so keep your friends nearby bec [...]