Attaboy, Sam!

Attaboy Sam! (1992) is a children's novel by Lois Lowry. It is the second book in a series that Lowry wrote about Anastasia and her younger brother Sam. The series is:

• All About Sam (1988) – a mischievous little boy.
• Attaboy Sam! (1992)
• See You Around, Sam! (1996) – Sam wants fangs and decides to run away to Alaska to get some.
• Zooman Sam (1999) – Sam wants to be a zookeeper and is able to (partially) fulfill this ambition by telling his schoolmates about animals.

Plot summary

Why won't Sam Krupnik allow his mother to enter his bedroom? Why has he started calling his toy box The Lab? And why does he carry a Ziplock bag in his pocket at all times? What's the big secret?

Well, his mother's birthday is approaching, and she has told her family that what she really wants are homemade gifts. Sam has decided to invent a special, surprise perfume just for her — a concoction that will combine all of her favorite smells. But exactly how does one bottle the quirky collection of scents on Mrs. Krupnik's list of favorites?

If anyone can find a way — or at least have loads of fun trying — it's Sam, Anastasia's precocious younger brother.

Lowry's reason for writing the novel

"Sam was born when Anastasia was ten, and for a long time he existed only in the books about her. But kids liked him. Maybe he reminded them of their own little brothers. So at the request of young readers, I gave Sam his own series."

Review

"Warm, lively, true to children's real inner lives, and laugh-aloud funny all the way." — Kirkus Reviews, pointer review School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

External links

• [1] Description of the book from Lowry's website.
• Lowry's website
• Complete list of books by Lowry