Product Description

When a thunderstorm knocks out the electricity, Charlie McButton’s whole tech empire comes tumbling down. He needs batteries–FAST. But the only batteries are inside his baby sister’s beloved talking doll.Will he resort to desperate measures, and cause his sister to have a meltdown of her own? Or will he snap out of his computer craze long enough to realize sisters can be fun, even without batteries?

The wacky illustrator of A Is for Salad and the author of the highly acclaimed fantasy novel Gregor the Overlander team up for a most timely picture book that will crack up your favorite computer addict.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #437170 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-A clever, humorous story in rhyme. Charlie's techno-driven world comes to a crashing halt when a thunderstorm causes a power outage. His mother advises, "You'll have to find something without plugs to play./Read a book!/Clean your room!/Sing a song!/Model clay!" Uninspired, Charlie finally remembers an old handheld video game, but the battery is missing. Desperate, he steals one from his sister's talking doll and ends up in the time-out chair. Feeling remorseful when the little girl starts crying, he seeks her out and the two have a grand time playing games and pretending to be dragons and wizards. When the power returns, Charlie is ready to retreat to his "handsets and bots" but decides that it might be fun to spend some time with his sister as well. The hilarious cartoon illustrations are bold and appealing and depict the siblings' many emotions with exaggerated clarity. While the mother appears only as a hand patting her panicked son's head, the family dog is usually present, patiently enduring a hose-down from little Isabel Jane or angrily reproving Charlie for hurting her feelings. Pair this tale with Glenn McCoy's Penny Lee and Her TV (Hyperion, 2002) for a fun storytime during "TV Turnoff Week."-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
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Review
A clever, humorous story in rhyme. -- School Library Journal

Review
A clever, humorous story in rhyme. (School Library Journal)

Customer Reviews

Refreshingly original and moving!
Charlie loves computer games so much, he never plays with anything else - so when the power goes out, he's really in the dark. His desperate search for batteries involves his sister's toys and some nasty behavior before he settles down to realize what's truly important in his life. Deftly written by Suzanne Collins and nicely illustrated by Mike Lester, When Charlie McButton Lost Power is refreshingly original and moving!

BEST BUY!
I purchased this book for my 7 year old son for Christmas. It was a huge hit. I have four boys from 6-13 and we all loved it. It's a hilarious, sweet book. I'm so glad I found it!

Fun Book
Great read for kids, you can make a correlation between kids playing video games today and making their own fun like we did way back when