School!: Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School
Gr 1-4–Ron Faster runs downstairs and eats breakfast with his parents every morning and then dashes off to catch the school bus. It inevitably gets stuck in a ditch by its driver, Mr. Ivan Stuckinaditch. Eventually, the children will all arrive at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School where every day is “not normal,” as little Izzy Normal always says. The story takes readers into Ron's week, from Hotsy-Totsy Monday to Hunky-Dory Thursday, at his outlandish school, where, through extreme silliness, little life lessons are learned. Every day when Ron arrives home, he and his parents talk about what he learned. The characters all have giggle-worthy names that relate to their personalities or attributes; the music teacher is Mrs. Doremi Fasollatido, and the custodians are named Janitor Iquit and Janitor Quitoo. Booth's great cartoon illustrations add whimsy and pure fun to every page, a quality that, when paired with McMullan's simple, quirky story, may well draw in reluctant readers. This is a good chapter book for children who enjoy the visual stimulation of well-done graphics.Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL© Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.