Help! I'm a Classroom Gambler

by Pete Johnson

Harvey thinks school is the most boring place on earth—and so he and his friends devise a way to help relieve their boredom. Lessons are actually quite interesting when you have more at stake than just whether you'll get through it without being sent to the head. Harvey and his fellow gamblers start to bet on how many times the supply teacher will give a nervous twitch, how often the Head will blow his nose, and lots of other possible outcomes. All of a sudden, school is fun—but then the gambling craze starts to spread and Harvey realizes it's all getting out of control… A brilliant subversive look at classroom pranks and what goes on under the teacher's nose.

197 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

Reviews

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious book about a serious subject--gambling. Harvey, a British schoolboy finds school utterly boring. He tries to liven things up but of course, always gets in trouble. He and his best mate, George, decide to bet on how many times their math teacher, Mr. Wobblebottom, will scratch under this arm before the bell rings. The loser has to buy the winner an ice-cream. Placing these little bets made school much more fascinating for these two and others start to notice. All the sudden, the innocent little bet turns into a gambling syndicate with 11 members. Harvey and George put aside any feelings of guilt by reassuring themselves that they are doing a good thing---all their mates now pay rapt attention in class, albeit for the wrong reasons. All goes swimmingly till the cool school soccer star ,Johnny, takes an interest and all goes downhill from there...MONEY is now involved and the stakes are now raised much higher. A theft of the gambling money in Harvey's school locker starts the unraveling of the syndicates. Some good lessons about the dangers of gambling are taught in a good natured way. Highly enjoyable, made even more so because of the terrific reading by Paul Checker. This book was ten more funnier because of his wonderful English accent!

[Megha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic break from all the fantasy and angst-y books I usually read!

HELP! I'M A CLASSROOM GAMBLER was humorous and witty. I loved the idea of Chancers, and everything was just fun. While reading, I didn't have to think much. Usually, when I'm reading a book and finish it within a day, I feel very proud, but for this book, I felt it was natural.

It was also amazing to read this because after reading so much fantasy, I got to read something light and cool, and something that made me laugh out loud all the way through. I could really get into the characters' shoes.

Really cool!

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

comfort ksiazka

[Amelia Gęś Desput · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trochę jak dziennik cwaniaczka.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey’s plans to liven up his school day with a little betting get out of hand. A good read

[Halalilodri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bin ausdrücklich als nicht zur Zielgruppe gehörig benannt ;-)

[Kate Mountford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad quick read

[Ida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorvoll über Schulalltag, Freunde

Dieser Roman für Kinder ab 10 Jahre wird in der Ich- Form von Henry erzählt, der Schule langweilig findet. Deshalb macht er verschiedene Mutproben, um Abwechslung in den Alltag zu finden.

Humor kommt auch durch die Gedanken von Henry rein, zum Beispiel, wie er sich seinen Wunsch- Schulalltag vorstellt: keine Hausaufgaben mehr, weil sie in der Schule schon hart genug lernen, nicht immer etwas neues lernen und zur Abwechslung in der Schule Spiele spielen.

Es ist schön, dass der Junge mit George einen guten Freund findet und die wie Vögel beobachten oder lesen viele selben Interessen hat.

[Jula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harvey uważa, że szkoła jest potwornie, okropniaście NUDNA. Postanawia więc coś z tym zrobić. Zaczyna się od zakładu z jego najlepszym kumplem, ile razy podczas lekcji ich matematyk, Galareta, PODRAPIE SIę pod pachami (DZIEWIęć razy!) NAGRODĄ są lody.
Tak naprawdę nie sięgnęłabym po tę pozycję, gdyby nie konkurs czytelniczy, w którym biorę udział. Nie straciłabym za wiele. Bohaterowie są średnio ciekawi, akcja przewidywalna, nic za bardzo się nie działo. Przeczytałam bardzo szybko, bo jest dość krótkie. Polecam raczej osobom jeszcze młodszym ode mnie.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't too sure if I would like this book -- after all, gambling and classroom combined in the title. But it turned out to be a delight. We listened to it, and the narrator has a great English accent (not the deep Harry Potter narrator type, but a younger, believable male). Harvey learns some lessons the hard way, but I like the direction that the book ends on. And near the end, we were all grinning, listening to the resolution.

[Maleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super fun. We listened to it while we traveled on vacation. The British accent from the reader was brilliant. We all laughed together and guessed what was going to happen. Excellent read!

[Mrs L Araguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books

I read this book all in one day it was so gripping and tense but also so funny. I recommend for ages 9-13