A+ Attitude (Morgan Love Series) by Stephanie Perry Moore

A+ Attitude (Morgan Love Series #1) by Stephanie Perry Moore. Lift Every Voice Books (a Moody Imprint), 2011. 144 pages.

• Reading Level: Chapter Books, ages 6-10
• Recommended For: Ages 6-10, especially girls

Bottom Line: A Christian realistic fiction series about a young African American girl wrestling with family dynamics, a new school, and a bad attitude.

Morgan Love is beginning second grade in a new school. Her mom is about to have a new baby, her dad just left for a Navy deployment, and her stepdad is not on her favorites list. To top it off, her grandparents have to drive her to school on the first day. Morgan has a bad attitude and doesn’t care who knows it.

Morgan struggles to apply her family’s words of wisdom and the instructions she remembers from church about encouraging others, having the right kind of attitude, and taking her frustrations to the Lord. Morgan learns several lessons: she can love both her stepdad and her biological father, her baby brother isn’t half bad, and she can be nice at school.

Full of good intentions and a good message, this novel makes up for so-so writing by truly encouraging its young readers to take their thoughts captive. Morgan’s life will resonate with many young readers caught up in similar family dynamics, and educators will find the vocabulary words Morgan is learning a nice perk. Reading level, academic content, and themes are especially targeted to second-fourth graders. Word searches, discussion questions, and a short grammar review (that relates to the story!) are included. For more books about Morgan, see the Alec London series.

Cautions: none

Overall Rating: 4.25

• Worldview Rating: 5
• Artistic Rating: 3.5

Categories: Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Character Values, Life Issues, Multicultural, Christian

cover image from amazon; book from publisher in return for a fair review