Andy Shane doesn't want to be at school. He doesn't want to sit straight at the rug or share at morning meeting. How much more fun would it be to be home with Granny Webb where they could catch and name various bugs--using Latin, no less. It's bad enough that Andy Shane has to be in school, but spending his day with a show-off tattletale like Dolores Starbuckle makes his day seem endless. As the self-appointed assistant teacher, she is a little spy among kindergartners, pointing out the slouchy sitter, math materials messer-upper and anyone who visits a learning center on the wrong day. But Granny Webb is not having any of Andy's school ennui; her patented Granny Webb Stare moves him right onto the bus and into school. However, Granny Webb would never abandon her little boy. A surprise school visit teaches Andy something about sticking up for himself and using every resource--even the Stare--to solve a problem. Open, humorous sketches are just the right touch for this hilarious, pitch-perfect school story. Readers will want to follow Andy all the way through school. (Fiction. 5-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr. 1-3. With a bit of help from Grandma, a shy lad is able to deal with an aggressive classmate in this chapter book for emergent readers. Dolores, the bane of both Andy and his teacher, Ms. Janice, generally speaks in capital letters, dominates any interchange, and can be relied on to trumpet out any irregularity or clumsy act she spots. Relief arrives at last in the person of Granny Web, Andy's foster parent, who not only demonstrates to the whole class how to ignore Dolores' bossiness but also gently prods Andy into showing that he knows a few things--specifically, the scientific names of common insects--that Dolores doesn't. Dolores, consistently depicted in Carter's frequent, informally drawn classroom scenes with her mouth either pursed disapprovingly or wide open, will elicit shivers of recognition from many young readers, and her final transformation from termagant-in-training to Andy's bosom buddy, though suspiciously quick, brings a satisfying sense of resolution. --John Peters Copyright 2005 Booklist

Andy Shane hates being interrupted and corrected by know-it-all Dolores Starbuckle every day in school. Help arrives when Andy's Granny Web makes an unexpected visit to his class, enthusiastically modeling assertive behavior that Andy emulates, and neutralizing his foe and turning her into a friend. Lillis develops an array of distinctive, amusing voices and captures the frustrations and exuberance of Jacobson's well-developed characters. Engaging line drawings by Carter enhance the text, which children may follow as they listen. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Whenever Andy makes a mistake in class, bossy Dolores points out that ""someone"" is not behaving properly. Andy hates is, but wise Granny Webb quietly teaches him how to stand up to Dolores without being mean. Granny Webb's delightfully outrageous behavior and Dolores's obnoxiousness combine to create a funny and real situation. The pencil and watercolor wash illustrations enhance the story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.