Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and other Scary Things

By Lenore Look

     Alvin Ho lives in Concord, Massachusetts with his parents, older brother Calvin, little sister Anibelly, and their dog Lucy. Alvin, a Chinese-American, is descended from a long line of farmer-warriors who, according to Alvin, “don’t have a scardey bone in their bodies.” Unfortunately Alvin doesn’t seem to take after these farmer-warriors because he is afraid of EVERYTHING. Alvin’s list of scary things includes: elevators, tunnels, bridges, thunder, wasabi, the dark, scary dreams, shots, and school. In fact Alvin is so afraid of school that he has never spoken in class and has to carry a PDK (Personal Disaster Kit) with him at all times. In his PDK Alvin packs things like: a whistle, a three-leaf clover, band-aids, a bandana, escape routes, a scary mask (for keeping girls away), and emergency plans for surviving fires, meeting teachers (another reason for the scary mask), surviving show and tell, and making friends. With his quirky sense of humor, his PDK, the love and support of family, and the occasional wearing of his “Firecracker Man” superhero outfit, Alvin sets out to conquer his "so-so performance anxiety disorder” and survive the perils of second grade, chicken pox, piano lessons, and girls… especially girls.