Mary Marony and the Chocolate Surprise Book

It's a great day at school when Mary Marony's teacher brings in chocolate bars for the whole class. Mrs. Bird has hidden golden tickets inside the wrappers of five bars. Whoever picks the chocolate surprises will get to have lunch with Mrs. Bird. Mary hopes mean Marvin Higgins doesn't win—he wins everything. Mary wants to have lunch with her favorite teacher. If only she could find a way to get a golden ticket....

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Another winner from Kline. Mary Maroney is a second grader who stutters at times. Her class has just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Mrs. Bird is re-creating the golden-ticket portion of the story. The five children who find tickets in their chocolate bars will be treated to a pizza party, and Mary is determined not to let Marvin, who is disruptive and makes fun of the teacher, spoil classroom activities again. In the process, however, she must deal with a guilty conscience about cheating. The spare ink sketches carry the plot effectively for these realistic characters. Kline's fans will find this beginning chapter book a satisfying, natural extension of Mary Marony and the Snake (Putnam, 1992).-Christina Dorr, Calcium Primary School, NY