Arthur's Computer Disaster (Arthur Adventures Series) ANNOTATION
Arthur disobeys his mother by playing his favorite game on her computer, which leads to a lesson in taking responsibility for one's actions.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
When his mother leaves for work and asks him not to touch the computer, Arthur can't resist the temptation. Disobedience soon leads to disaster! Color illustrations throughout.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Jeanne K. Pettenati
This book captures the very common experience of getting addicted to a computer game. Kids will relate to this story! Arthur wants to play Deep, Dark Sea at every opportunity. His mother lets him use her computer until she needs it for work. Although she tells him not to touch the computer while she runs to the office, Arthur can't resist. He and Buster get aggressive and the screen goes black. Arthur goes through several ideas trying to get the computer fixed, with no luck. When mother finds out, she fixes the computer and disciplines Arthur, but gets hooked on Deep, Dark Sea in the process.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3Adapted by Brown from a teleplay by Joe Fallon, this episode pits Arthur against his mother for computer time. He wants to play Deep, Dark Sea, but she has forbidden him to touch her PC while she is at work. However, the silent machine proves to be more temptation than Arthur can withstand. Pal Buster encourages him; D.W. predicts doom. A tug of war, a crashing keyboard, and an inoperable computer follow. Desperate attempts to fix it fail; in the end, Mom returns home, Arthur confesses, suffers the consequences, and learns a valuable lesson when Mom offers, "Always call me with your problems." She provides additional humor in the end, as she succumbs to the lure of Deep, Dark Sea, searching for sunken treasure. Brown's bright shades in his watercolor-and-ink cartoons continue to make America's famous aardvark family most appealing to young audiences. Great fun, and useful for parents looking for stories about responsibility and logical consequences of actions.Marsha McGrath, Clearwater Public Library, FL