Bow to Win a Slime War
Author: Mae Respicio
Published September 14th, 2021 by Wendy Lamb Books
Summary: Two kids face off in an epic battle to see who can sell the most slime, while navigating sticky situations with friends and family.
Alex Manalo and his dad have just moved back to Sacramento to help out with their extended family’s struggling Filipino market. While Alex likes helping in the store, his true passion is making slime! He comes up with his own recipes and plays with ingredients, colors, and different bumpy or sparkly bits, which make his slime truly special. A new friend encourages Alex to sell his creations at school, which leads to a sell-off battle with a girl who previously had a slime-opoly. Winner gets bragging rights and the right to be the only slime game in town.
But Alex’s dad thinks Alex should be focused more on traditional boy pastimes and less on slime. As the new soccer coach, Dad gets Alex to join the team. Even though he hates sports, Alex gives in.
Alex is battling on multiple fronts–with his new friends at school, and with his dad at home. It will be a sticky race to the finish to see who oozes out on top.
Praise:
“Oozing with fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
★ “A well-written story of family and friendship. Slime aficionados and newbies alike will enjoy the recipes for slime at the beginning of each chapter. Highly recommended.” —SLJ, starred review
About the Author: Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children’s Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. Mae lives with her husband and two sons in the Bay Area suburban wild, where they love hiking, hanging at the beach, and some good old-fashioned family slime time. Visit her online at maerespicio.com.
Review: Happy book birthday!!!!
How to Win a Slime War is definitely about slime, but it is about so much more.
It is about family. Alex and his dad have a lot of changes happening in their life and they are figuring out how to deal with it all. The kid characters aren’t the only characters that need to grow and change.
It is about friendship. Alex is starting at a new school, which means leaving his best friend, so he has to figure out how to fit into a new place. It is so much fun to meet all of his new friends with him and navigate the new environment.
It is about passion. And also about how passions of kids are not always what the parent wants it to be.
It is about entrepreneurship. Alex wants to be a business owner when he grows up and is already talking about it. He has been to conferences and has so many great ideas.
It is because of all of these different aspects that I found the book so engaging and a book that many people will find connection with Alex and his story.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book will find the most success in classroom, school, and public libraries in the hands of students; however, I could definitely see a teacher using aspects in their classroom: both the slime science aspect and the business/entrepreneurship.
Discussion Questions:
- How did each character grow and change throughout the book?
- Why was Alex so hesitant about the changes in the Manalo Market? How did Alex and his father end up combining some of the new ideas with honoring Lolo & Lola’s market?
- How was Meadow more than what meets the eye?
- How did Alex’s science teacher add extra engagement to her classroom?
- How do you feel about schools banning things that have become popular?
- How does Alex use what he has learned about business when it comes to selling slime?
- Alex got really good at soccer but decided not to keep playing. Why did he make that choice, even after becoming successful? Is there anything you have been good at but you ended up not liking?
Flagged Passages: Chapter 1
The world has plenty of twelve-year-olds who’ve accomplished amazing things, like:
Hoisting 308 pounds in one clean lift.
Inventing a braille printer from a Lego set.
Making millions of dollars from candy that’s good for your teeth.
I wish I could add myself to this list, but I can barely lift a fifty-pound bag of rice, when I play with Legos I usually lose the pieces, and when it comes to candy–especially my favorite kind, with an edible wrapper–I’d rather eat it than sell it.
I do have one hobby I’m not bad at: Making slime.
I’m stellar at slime challenges. This morning my best friend, Raj, and I are doing one final face-off before my dad and I move from San Jose to Sacramento. It’s our way of saying goodbye.
I lay out the ingredients, a couple of bowls, and some fat wooden stirring sticks. Raj sets my laptop on the kitchen counter, raises the volume, and cues up a video: Slime Time Soraya’s 30-Second Challenge!
He rubs his hands together. “I’ve been waiting the whole week for this!”
We’ve done all her challenges except this one, which we’ve been saving for a special occasion.
“Okay, Slime Squad!” Slime Time Soraya says on-screen. “Today we make . . . classic slime! Your goal: mix as fast as you can.”
“Challenge accepted!” Raj says back.
“Who makes good slime in thirty seconds?” I say. “Art takes much longer than that.”
Raj smiles slyly. “You’re not the only one with skills, Alex.”
Read This If You Love: Kyle’s Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong, Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Hello From Renn Lake by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun, Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson
Recommended For:
Giveaway!
**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review and giveaway!**
Great cover
I can’t wait to read this book. It has everything I love about middle grade books.
Looks so fun! Thanks for sharing!
Who doesn’t love slime??? Well me as a parent but in a book..fantastic. This sounds right up my 6th grade classroom’s alley.