Run from the Nun!
Grade 4-6-When Kara's parents send her to a Catholic school, the fifth grader is forced not only to leave her elementary school, but also her best friend. She tries many tactics to get kicked out of St. Joan of Arc School: she wears outrageous clothes instead of the uniform, she sneaks into the forbidden graveyard, and she promises the winners of the food drive a day off from school. She finds Sister Mary Francis a formidable opponent, however, and fellow student Anthony Russo an exasperating pest. In a predictable conclusion, she finally "wins" the battle as her parents agree to pull her out of the Catholic school--and then she changes her mind. The characters are well developed; Kara matures as the story unfolds. The cover art is appealing, showing an outlandishly clad girl escaping out of a window. The plot shows how the students' impressions of one another and of adults can be wrong, all with humor. Many youngsters will identify with being the new kid in school.--Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.