Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
I Don't Want to Be Nice!
Sue Graves · 2017
65/100
👎 Skip It
Finn's story does the job it sets out to do — show unkind behavior, show its consequences, point toward correction — and the exuberant illustrations keep young readers engaged along the way. Educators note particular utility for children with autism and behavioral challenges, which is a meaningful real-world endorsement. The formula is thin, though: more time is spent on the bad behavior than on modeling what good behavior actually looks like, and the resolution wraps up too quickly to feel earned.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety92
Substance / usefulness66
Craft & writing68
Originality58
Evidence & accuracy81
Hype vs delivers75
Age-fit78
👁 Human-eye gut-check63
Penny’s verdict65
Cross-pollinate