Content Qualities
| Author/Illustrator: Robert Kimmel Smith |
| Genre: Shorter Fiction |
| Interest Age Range: 8 to 11 |
| Optimal for Grades: 3 – 5 |
| Guided Reading Level: O |
| Scariness: 1 Henry and Mac are briefly held hostage by criminals who wave guns around. But nobody is seriously injured and the criminals are apprehended without shots being fired. At one point, Henry fears a pack of dogs is coming to attack him, but it turns out they are friendly and only lick him up and down. |
Fun Rating
Summary
Unusual running away from home mini-adventure starring the world’s biggest chocolate lover and the good-natured black hero who saves the day.
Henry Green loves chocolate more than any other little boy on earth. He eats it for every meal and snack, in normal ways and abnormal ones. After all, who ever heard of putting chocolate syrup on mashed potatoes? His doting family indulge him, allowing him to eat as much chocolate as he wants and keeping the kitchen cabinets well stocked with chocolate this, that, and everything. But one day, his choco-gluttony catches up with him in the form of a novel, never before seen illness dubbed “Chocolate Fever.” When big brown spots break out all over Henry bringing with them the scent of a candy factory, Henry’s teachers, school nurse, and eventually the hapless hospitalist Dr. Fargo get so dramatically overexcited by the startling discovery that their reactions scare poor, befuddled Henry right out of town. He runs and runs and runs until finally he is picked up by a kindhearted black truckdriver called Mac, who is on his way back to company headquarters with a mysterious delivery. Henry feels totally alone in his experience and his efforts to “get rid of those old spots” as he struggles to understand why and how this happened to him. But Mac’s wisdom and guidance begin to steer him back on track; that is, until criminals hijack the truck and take them as hostages. Could Henry’s unusual illness be the key to defeating the thieves and getting back on the road? Join Henry and his big new friend Mac on their journey to the one place and the one person who holds the cure for Chocolate Fever. You’ll laugh for sure when you learn what it is.
Central Message
The main lesson of Chocolate Fever is a Warning against overindulgence designed to illustrate for children that it really is possible to have too much of a good thing. Moderation and self-control are values we must all learn in order to truly enjoy the pleasures of life.
For Teachers
Check out the Full Lesson Plan from Scholastic for this title.
Available in Braille!
Wonderful news! Chocolate Fever is available in high-quality contracted (Grade 2) Unified English Braille from Seedlings Braille Books for Children for under $10! A big thank you to Seedlings for all they do to support literacy for blind and visually impaired children around the world.
Seedlings’ Description: Henry was loco over cocoa until the day he came down with Chocolate Fever! This book is dedicated to all the chocolate lovers in the world! 61 pages, Ages 7-11, 205 pages