A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

Written by Marla Frazee

Narrated by Fred Berman, Teddy Walsh and Jasper Newell

When James and Eamon go to a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon's grandparents' house, it turns out that their free time spent staying inside, eating waffles, and playing video games is way more interesting than nature.

But sometimes things work out best when they don't go exactly as planned.

This Caldecott Honor-winning book is a moving and hilarious celebration of young boys, childhood friendships, and the power of the imagination, where Marla Frazee captures the very essence of summer vacation and what it means to be a kid.

A Live Oak Media audio production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Oak Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781430115113

Marla Frazee

MARLA FRAZEE has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, some of which she also wrote. Her picture book A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever was named a Caldecott Honor Book. She is also the author and illustrator of Walk On! A Guide for Babies of All Ages; Santa Claus, the World's Number One Toy Expert; Roller Coaster; and Hush, Little Baby. She is the illustrator of Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman, Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild by Mem Fox, and more. Marla Frazee lives in Pasadena, California. Visit her website at www.marlafrazee.com.  

Reviews for A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

[megantrue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This one wa really funny. I loved it. The illustrations were adorable!

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A couple of boys spend the week at a nature camp near the home of one of their sets of grandparents. The camp was a day camp, allowing the students to spend the evenings at the home of the grandparents. Even though the camp is billed as nature camp, it doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of exposing the children to nature. The children finally explored a little nature exploration on their own the final evening. I did not like using the first names of the grandparents. I would have preferred for them to be addressed as Grandma and Grandpa or some derivation of those respectful names. Young boys will probably enjoy the book and some of its silliness.

[ebecker13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This easy fiction book was GREAT! It was very entertaining and I enjoyed reading it. It had a lot of humor built into the story that I thought was just great.

[acahil3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary:This book is about two young boys that are going to a nature camp. The boys stay at one of their grandparent's houses for the week because they live near by. The boys were so excited to go to nature camp but end up being far from adventurous in the outdoors. Most of their time is spent playing together inside and acting silly. When it comes to the last night at grandma and grandpa's house the boys finally find themselves outside and enjoying nature. Review:This book is great for young boys who enjoy being fun and silly. The book's message has a sarcastic tone to it and may be inappropriate for certain ages. The illustrations in the book are fun to read because they have word bubbles for what the boys are saying, or possibly thinking. I found that the book would be inappropriate to most children of a younger age group but still would fall between a reading level of K-2, based on the text content. One of the illustration word bubbles that would be drawn to a particularly older audience is the use of "@#%&!" to insinuate that they had heard inappropriate language, or a curse word. In my opinion, this would have to be a book you need to pre-read and make judgments on appropriateness based on each child individually.

[lmeza-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great, great, great!! Is there a sequel/prequel???

[patricia_poland_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great "boy" story! While spending a week at Eamon's grandparents' two boys attend a nature day camp -- but it is the time not at the day camp that is the real fun. Though they originally resisted the idea of going with Eamon's grandpa to the penguin exhibit when the end of the week comes they recreate Antarctica and penguins out of seashells on the deck - Grandpa is pleased and it turned out to be the 'bestest' time of the week.

[jenj5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Extremely silly and funny and heartwarming, Frazee has captured one brief week in the lives of James, Eamon, Pam and Bill. The illustrations are beautifully done in black prismacolor and gouache and often contradict the text for extra humor. The endpapers are particularly fun because they provide glimpses into the actual nature camp experience which we don't see at all in the narrative since the boys are too busy having fun elsewhere. Perfect for the grade school crowd as a read-aloud, it could also tie into nature units and grandparents day activities.

[tamarasmith_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story by Marla Frazee. The book is actually about her son and his friend spending a week together. Very fun book, the illustrations are really great, they complete the story and captures the boys very well. Kids would enjoy it a lot.

[ymcmillion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book about a couple of boys and their week spent together. They had great adventures and I think that any student after reading this will want to go on an adventure similar to theirs. The book is relatable and fun. Highly recommended.

[ejmeloche · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

James and Eamon visit Eamon's grandparents for a week of "Nature Camp," though the illustrations show that the two may not experience as much of the great outdoors as the camp name implies.The real delight of the book is the way the words and the illustrations work together to tell a complete (and slightly sarcastic) story. The text describes scenes that are expected from an actual nature camp, while the pencil and gouache drawings portray how the boys' time was really spent (playing video games, eating waffles, and watching television). Though there is often a long paragraph of text on each page, the illustrations provide enough entertainment that children will be unlikely to want to preemptively turn the page.Recommended for library and personal collections, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever is a book kids will want to reread, and adults won't mind reading again.

[elpowers · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute and funny

[kloupe1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't think this book could have gotten any cuter! James and Eamon ("Jamon" ) went to Bill and Pam's house so they could go to nature camp and had "the best week ever." They sat around alot, played video games, ate, "meditated" and "partied" with Bill and Pam. And to Bill's amazement, they actually learned from their nature camp, creating their own version of Antarctica on their last night.

[jeneennammar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4 to 8 years old. With A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever (Harcourt, 2008) Marla Frazee creates a funny and heart warming picture book perfect for enjoying summer themes. In it, two best friends attend a summer nature camp and stay at one of the friend's grandparents' beach house. They have a week of doing exactly what they like, but by the end they interest themselves in an activity that will particularly touch the host grandparents' hearts. Frazee's understated text deliberately mismatches her illustrations for amusement's sake and each page offers multiple jokes. Marla Frazee also offers her customary detailed illustrations so that different aspects can be discovered and enjoyed over several readings. From a gigantic bowl of popcorn to extra large sundaes, kids will enjoy pouring over her detailed images as usual, but even more so because of the summer theme. One only wishes the main character boys, who must be 5 to 8, looked their age. Instead of looking like one of her bigger boy characters from The Seven Silly Eaters, they have sparse hair styles reminiscent of baby characters from Everywhere Babies. But this can be overlooked in the fun of enjoying the story. This book is highly recommended for public library collections, and read aloud time for teachers right before summer break. And it's the perfect book for the library to display at the outset of summer.

[laceyfield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary:This was about two young boys who go to a nature camp for a week. Eamon, whose grandparents lived near the camp, and James were best friends but they hated nature camp and all they wanted to do was eat junk food and watch television. Eamon’s grandpa kept trying to get the boys more involved by taking them to a penguin exhibit, but they kept turning him down. Finally, on the last day, the boys make a huge replica of Antarctica and penguins out on the beach and become more into nature.Personal Reaction:I thought this book was hilarious. It shows typical little boys who love to make messes and watch TV. The pictures showed the sarcasm of the story, which some children would not understand. Classroom Extension Ideas:1. This would be a great book to read on the first or last day of school because it talks about summer break and camps.2. I loved the pictures in this book. I could introduce shading and line techniques through the pictures.

[thecajunlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This witty book entertains young readers and including those with advanced reading skills as much of the humor and backstory of characters is written sarcastically. The story follows the daily delights of attending nature camp, nurturing a relationship with grandparents, and the growing friendship between the two main characters.

[caitsm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Two friends (Eamon and James) go to nature camp at Eamon's grandparents house for a week where they don't enjoy nature, but all the luxuries of being inside. Finally at the end of the week they find an appreciation and have a surprise for Eamon's grandparents. Nice illustrations and very funny captions. Fun for both boys and girls.

[kgracekr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hiliarious!

[pumabeth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story contains an interesting subtext of light humor. The somewhat sophisticated or formal language of the narration is juxtaposed across the actual dialogue, which appears in speech bubbles. For instance, the narration reads, "James and Eamon discussed their options" while the actual speech bubbles state "Do you want to go?" "No." In another scene, the boys "described their first nature camp day," but the bubbles reveal the boys' feelings: "I thought you are supposed to ... hike," "Not stand and look at some flower for an hour." The pictures also reveal entertaining contrasts. As the boys peer through binoculars to look at birds, they look at freckles instead. As the boys practice "quiet meditation," they actually play video games. At one point, the grandmother worries that the boys will be lonely, but the pictures put all worries to rest. They are surrounded by an army of stuffed animals.Classroom uses: Children could identify the differences between the narration and the actual speech. They could discuss the differences between expectations and reality. They could also create their own nature exhibits.

[neilliej · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Jim and Eamon visit Eamon's grandparents for a week of nature camp, the two find that they aren't as concerned with nature as much as Eamon's grandfather wishes they were. In fact, his grandfather can't stop talking about penguins and Antarctica. Even though the week doesn't go exactly as planned, the boys have a wonderful time. They have fun at bedtime, played video games, built tents and watched tv. On their last night of nature camp, the two boys discover that they haven't spent much time in nature. So, they go outside and by the moonlight build a wonderful creation for Eamon's grandparents to see. In the morning they show their proud creation of Antarctica to Eamon's grandparents, who absolutely love it! Then, the boys happily waddle off like penguins.

[gayldashersmith · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Fun and raucus times with two real kids.

[danusia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thank you snozberry. I love Marla Frazee and the illustrations in this book are awesome, very funny. But I too had to re-read the first page three times before I could figure out who's who! If the illustrations weren't so engaging I would have given up. Did she mean to confuse us? Some of the sarcasm and humor will go right over the younger listener's head but the idea that the boys made their own fun is a good one. Sorry, only three stars from me.

[multilingualmaid · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

James and Eamon are staying with Eamon’s grandparents while they attend nature camp during the summer. These two best friends have a blast while going to camp, eating banana pancakes, and just being silly. They also decide to do something very special for Eamon’s grandfather which turns out to be one of the best parts of their already awesome week.The author depicts a humorous and heartwarming example of friendship. In addition to the traditional text that moves the story along, she uses cartoon-like conversation bubbles so that readers can “listen in” on conversations between James and Eamon, which are always interesting and often funny.

[ktibbs_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This would be a great book to use as part of a unit on writing picture books with upper elementary students. It has such great sarcasm that upper elementary students are beginning to develop within themselves. It is also a great example of how pictures in a picture book can truly add to and enhance the reader's understanding of the author's message.

[elle0467 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book! A book about a summer week adventure for two best friends James and Eamon as they kill time at Eamon's grandparent's house. It is not till the last day that they finally find something constructive to do however, they have fun the whole entire week.-This book is great for a good laugh and for teaching kids the importance of friendship-Can be used from grades k - 5

[alliek710 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This would be a good read-aloud book because it would keep kids' attention and make them laugh.

[delzey_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

James and his friend Eamon are going to Nature Camp for a week. It's a day camp near Eamon's grandparent's beach front house where the boys spend their week. If you want to see what they did at camp all you need to read are the endpapers which are snapshots of their time at camp. Their best week ever happened at Bill and Pam's (Eamon's grandparent's) house.Bill's a nice old guy who has traveled the world, loves penguins, and wants to talk about Antarctica all the time. The boys couldn't care less. Pam's cooking is better than anything the boys get at home, but probably because all she serves them is banana waffles. The boys stay in the basement, sleep on an inflatable mattress that serves as a fort, a trampoline, and a couch for their video game playing. They wear the same shorts all week long.James and Eamon are boys, true boys, marginally overseen by adults, living the summer that boys dream of. Their week over, the boys look out over the ocean at night, feeling something they can't articulate. But they know what to do: they collect driftwood, small rocks and mussel shells and assemble a miniature Antarctica complete with penguins on the deck. They hug Pam and Bill and hope they can go to Nature Camp again soon.Frazee knows boys. At the very least she knows these boys, and she knows that with boys everything is indirect. Bill asks them if they want to go see the penguin exhibit at the zoo, they boys say they'll think about it, and then they run away. They aren't trying to be rude, they're just boys doing what boys do, which is run away from conflict. I don't have a problem with this, because Frazee presents this with the same carefree attitude that boys bring with them. At the very end of their week when the boys don't know how to address their feelings of sorrow they do what boys do best: they build things, the express their feeling physically.I'm on the fence between calling this a good picture book and a great picture book. It's heart is in the right place, the humor is dry and authentic, but I'm left feeling like their best week ever needed a little more of an anchor, maybe one or two more activities to solidify their week. Their days are taken up with Nature Camp -- which is never shown, and I'm fine with that -- but I wish they'd had more time at Pam and Bill's to build or create or invent some week-long project that could mirror the building of their summer friendship.Will boys like it? Probably. Will they get it? Maybe. Does it matter? Nope.