The TV Kid

by Betsy Byars

Book Overview

Lennie is addicted to television. Even reruns are more exciting than real life, and Lennie likes to pretend he's the one experiencing the drama. But Lennie's daydreams lead him into a real situation that could cost him his life--and suddenly he's in trouble more terrifying and dangerous than anything he's ever seen on TV. "Byars infuses the story with her special magic. Lennie is a likable, funny, moving, and always entertaining character." -Publishers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140388265
• ISBN13: 9780140388268
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Unforgettable

I read this book when I was a child and loved it then. For 30 years I have remembered the part about the mother cutting open the cocoon too soon, and have often thought about it. I just read this book to my 7-yr-old son and he enjoyed it just as much as I did. I wondered if the emphasis on TV jingles might confuse my son, but I guess the concept of advertising is a pretty easy one to grasp even if those particular advertisements were unfamiliar to him. I can't understand why this particular book is one of the author's least popular, because the character of Lennie is so likeable and so easy to relate to. The life-changing event Lennie experiences (snake bite) is the pivotal incident he uses to help redefine himself, and some readers seemed to object to this - and yet this is what kids do. They grow up and draw from their experiences to help them focus. I found the book a pleasure to read 30 years ago and it still is today.

Loved it, still love it...

What a shame this book has gotten some bad reviews here--it happens to be one of my favorites!I first read it at age 10 or so, and really liked it then. In fact, I kept my copy all these years (I'm now way more than 10!), and it sits on my shelf with other childhood "classics."I appreciate the characterization of Lennie, a lonely boy who wishes he were on his favorite TV shows. His constant daydreaming is causing him problems at school, and his dangerous hobby of breaking into unoccupied summer cottages near his home leads to a life-threatening encounter with a snake. But the plot (boy meets snake) isn't really the issue here--this book is really a character study. Lennie is a good kid--well-meaning, but somewhat lazy. As a kid, I felt drawn to his predicament. Perhaps you will, too.Does Lennie learn anything in The TV Kid? Yes (and it's not "too much TV is bad for you"). I think the other reviewers here have missed the point (it's not about the TV, people!). AND I think Byars' book is top-notch writing. Funny, touching, and exciting, too! Give this one a chance--it deserves it!

The Way I Don't Want To Be!

Do you like TV? So did a boy named Lennie. Lennie is a boy that lives with his mom in a motel. He loved to watch TV and he loved to fall asleep and dream that he was on TV. In One of his daydreams, he is on a game show called "Give It A Spin" The host sends Lennie to a haunted house. He tells Lennie to always have an imaginary friend with him and he would be okay. I liked The TV Kid because I like to watch TV and sometimes fall asleep, but I don't dream about being on TV. If the reader did like the book, I would go out and buy a different book by the same author. I would recommend this book for readers because it tells you how much TV you should watch and how much you shouldn't.

the T.V.kid

the T.v. Kid is a really good and exciting book to read,the T.V. Kid is a kind of fictional book. It was really exciting in the begining this book got me hooked in the beginingg . In the book the kid loved to watch T.V. alot and daydream but it got him in trouble. He was bitten by a snake in one of his dreams He thought it wasn't real but when he woke up he saw two teeth marks on his legs. he never used to have friends but a imaginary one until he had he's last dream and found out that an Imaginary friend is not as good as a real one. The T.V. kid was a really good book it was weird how those dreams kept on happening in real life and he thought it wasn't real. This book is a book you can read till probably the 8th Grade because at that level you can still be reading that book.Betsey Byars is a good author and I would like to read a book by her again because I bet they're also good. Although this is not the best book I've read it's close to being the best one and I started to think that was a non-fiction book.