Tofu and T. Rex

by Greg Leitich Smith

In this hilarious companion to Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo, militant vegan Frederika Murchison-Kowalski returns to the Peshtigo School after a brief hiatus and discovers that she must live with her grandfather, who happens to own a butcher shop and sausage deli.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316777226
• ISBN13: 9780316777223
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

The vegan and the carnivore

A present-day Texas school district has a troublemaker on its hands. Fredrika Murchison-Kowalski, or Freddie for short, is a vegan and believes strongly in liberating animals, but she goes too far when she nearly burns down the school's football stadium trying to liberate the bull mascot. She is quickly shipped back to her native Chicago where she must live with her grandfather and her cousin Hans-Peter. They live in a traditional Eastern European neighborhood with lots of sausage, pets, and fur. On top of that her grandfather, or Opa, owns a deli/butcher shop where Freddie is forced to work. She is re-admitted into the prestigious Peshtigo School of Chicago. Her cousin desperately wants to get into the school because of its wonderful paleontology program. The vegan and the carnivore must learn to live in harmony to achieve both their goals. The book was good and it presented two good arguments. I couldn't decide which I agreed with since I am a vegetarian but I am not a vegan. I also saw the culture involved with the meats eaten by the Polish. The book was written in a light, moving style and it did not dwell on any one thing for too long. I enjoyed the two points of view of both characters and some of the hilarity of Freddie's activism. It was a bit simple and not really too developed but it contained some really funny parts and some very true arguments. If you enjoy both giggles and gasping, you'll like this book. From being chased by bees to the emancipation of frogs to an accidental severing, this book certainly earns a `funny mark'. Reviewed by a student for Flamingnet Book Reviews [...] Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations