"Patty Lee desperately wants to be the top reader in the fourth grade, which would give her the right to wear the dragon costume in the Read Across America Day Parade. But will Carmen Rosa Peña read her out of the running? The race is on as Patty Lee devours books, read-alouds, and audiobooks. But with Carmen in the lead, Patty Lee turns to Mrs. Skorupski for a new plan that just might put her at the top. With the help of the clever and thoughtful librarian, Patty Lee can still have a major part in the parade. This story is full of real-life drama and human emotions. It is a great book for children, as well as for teachers who could use it for “thought teaching” help. The pictures are great because they really depict what is going on. The colorful cover will attract children to the book. It is a readable book with manageable vocabulary." ~ Naomi Butler, Children's Literature (reprinted in full with permission of the publisher)

"Mrs. Skorupski, the irrepressible librarian of Liberty School, launches a new reading campaign.  Carmen and Patty attempt to out-read one another utilizing a multitude of strategies to become the top fourth grade reader." ~ Library Medai Connection, February 2008

"Check out librarian/author extraordinaire Toni Buzzeo's latest, Fire Up with Reading illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, in which a school librarian helps her patrons to "scale" new reading heights with the help of a dragon dance promotion that's fun to replicate (lots of firey and fetching support materials available from Upstart)." ~ Esme Raji Codell