Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love
Writing Thank-You Notes
by Peggy Gifford

    MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE WRITING THANK-YOU NOTES by Peggy Gifford
    Illustrated by:  Valorie Fisher
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  8/12/08
    Publisher:  Schwartz & Wade
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    If you hate writing thank-you notes, then you will want to read about Moxy Maxwell.  She is under the pressure of a
    deadline to write her Christmas thank yous, and it’s driving her crazy.  

    Moxy and her twin brother, Mark, are excited about their upcoming trip to Hollywood.  They are going to visit their
    father, who is considered to be a "big mover and shaker" in the Hollywood scene.  They haven't seen him in three
    years, a fact that greatly distresses their mother.  That's sort of what has Moxy confused.  Her mother wants them to
    make this important visit, but at the same time, she is insisting that Moxy write all her Christmas thank yous in one day
    before she leaves.

    Thank-you notes seem incredibly pointless to Moxy.  Since Granny George lives with them, she sees her every day,
    but when Moxy tells Granny thank you verbally, her mother says she will still need to write a thank-you note.  She
    says it is the polite thing to do.  So Moxy starts the tedious process, but she soon begins to get ideas about ways to
    make the job easier.

    Some of those time-saving ways involve her little sister, Pansy, an off-limits, brand-new copy machine her step-father
    got for Christmas, a broken La-Z-Boy chair, and a can of gold spray paint.  Moxy's creative ideas wreck havoc on
    the entire household, and surprisingly don't accomplish much in the way of completed thank-you notes.

    Readers will have great fun observing Moxy's crazy schemes and shortcuts.  Just as most of us feel, her ideas seem
    like a good idea at the time, but good ideas don't always come with good results.  Author Peggy Gifford has captured
    the frustration of the 9-12 age group.  They will easily relate to Moxy’s desires and emotions as she struggles to meet
    the demands of the adult world and satisfy her own wants as well.