The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage WIthout Apostrophes!
by Lynne Truss
illustrated by Bonnie Timmons
Any of you grammar nerds out there (stand up! don’t be shy!) should recognize the name of this author. Lynne Truss wrote Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, a wonderfully entertaining book about grammar, spelling, and all things editing that I immediately adored. I had no idea she had written a kid-friendly grammar book, but luckily my mom found this and sent it my way!
Summary
Writing is hard. All those contractions and different spellings of words that sound EXACTLY the same when you say them. It, its, it’s. Where, were, we’re. One misplaced or omitted apostrophe and you’ve changed the whole meaning of your sentence. Luckily, we have a clever, grammar-loving author to help us out.
The Girl’s Like Spaghetti is a hilarious illustrated book that shows how a simple grammatical error can cause quite a bit of confusion. Take the title as an example: “The Girl’s Like Spaghetti.” Umm, I’ve never met a girl who resembles spaghetti. I have met a girl who likes spaghetti though. Ha! So clever! Miss Truss also throws in some of those tricky apostrophes that go after an “s.” I can’t tell you how many battles I have fought over the proper way to write Texas in the plural. Texas’s, Texas’ ... it’s enough to make anyone go mad. The last pages of the book break down each of the examples, and explain the various plural and singular possessives that are used.
Worth staying up past bedtime?
Heck yeah! This is a quick and entertaining read, and the illustrations drive the grammar home perfectly. Don’t be fooled: this is not a boring, “let’s learn how to use apostrophes and write properly” kind of book. It is a great balance of entertaining and educational material, and I think readers of all ages can learn something from it!
Recommended for any age!
