a word to the wise

by jane lawrence herzig, alison cragin & mali

Placed by their reading teacher in the O Group, Willie, Grace, Henry, and five other students hate the dull, babyish books that they are usually given to read and conspire to steal a thesaurus that they find and that their teacher wants returned

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens

Paperback

First published April 1, 1982

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, my gratitude to the geniuses who help out in the What's The Name Of That Book??? GR group, because I have been reminiscing about this one for the last ummmm... twirthyish years I have been alive, which is probably the nerdiest fact about me among many able contenders but I don’t care, and I never, ever would have remembered that this is the title. Hopefully more of a review to come soon!

[Tia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to remember the name of this book for years! I think it's been either nine or eleven years since I've read it (I'm really not sure which) but I remember the basic premise and how much I enjoyed it as a child. I read it twice, trying to learn the words along with the characters and relishing in their adventures. I'm not sure how I would like it now, but I have fond memories of sitting on my grandparents' couch with the old book that smelled of the must and dust of my school library and had yellowed pages and a broken-in spine. This makes me so happy to have found it again!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always remembered this book, which I read in about 5th grade, but I couldn't remember the title. Thanks to whatsthatbook.com, I figured it out and ordered via ILL. Too bad it is out of print-- it's a great story about kids being labeled as the dumb kids-- their reading group isn't even allowed to look at the big book shelves. When a thesaurus ends up on their table of easy readers, they decided to steal it. When each character takes the book home, you get a glimpse into each of their lives-- except for the ringleader who decided to steal the book. You never learn much about his homelife. I think I'd give it 5 stars if you did, and if his main cause (bad school lunches) wasn't so trite.

[Crissy Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only a few books that I read in grade school that really stuck with me. Word to the Wise is one of them. A group of young children are told "that book isn't for you, maybe when your older"... So they take it, and they learn from it.

This spark of rebellion to educate yourself about things that others would deny you... To teach yourself beyond the books and manuscripts allowed in school... These are things every child should learn.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me forever to track this book down, and I was halfway starting to think I imagined it. I doubt I can give a fully objective review, based on having read it when I was, like, seven or eight. I remember finding it really interesting at the time that the kids in the book were bad at reading. I was always a good reader, so it wasn't that I identified with their problem, but so many other books I was reading at the time were about kids who loved books, and the difference was really striking. In all, my memories of "A word to the Wise", picked up at the neighborhood lending library and never returned, are quite fond, I remember reading it several times, and then pestering my mother to get me a thesaurus. Not an overlooked classic or anything, but something that was thouroughly entertaining to my younger self for sure.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of fifth grade struggling readers ban together to steal a thesaurus and end up having their lives changed.

This is a re-read of a book I remember enjoying as a kid. I've always loved reading about anything to do with reading and this fills that sweet spot. It also brought back memories of nasty school lunches - one of my least favorite was the 'Tater Tot Surprise' which was left-over tater tots from the previous day mixed with whatever the cafeteria had too much of. This book is definitely better than tater tot surprise.

[Lupine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a kid. LOVED it. In fact, I remember the first time I read it. I am sad it's out of print though I imagine it's totally out of date. However, it sparked a love of the thesaurus and how can you go wrong with that???

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my very favorite books in middle school. I still love reading thesauruses and this book was an excellent introduction to the importance of wordings and how ideas are presented to others.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to remember the name of this book for ages! I loved this so much as a kid.

[Carolyn Tragasz]

This book was fundamental in starting me on a path of empathy. Reading it as an elementary school student fundamentally altered the way I looked at fellow students who struggled academically. Plot may be unrealistic and idealized (from what i remember) to achieve a feel good effect, but still made a profound point about believing in and empowering others vs labeling them. Have not re-read yet as an adult.

[Shelece · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid! I loved that we got to be in each kid's head and see what their lives were like.

[Toni Iguain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 6th grade about a dozen times. I liked how the power of words solved the problems of all the kids in the book

[Carlvino · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was really cute and quite a challenge for my young readers which made the story truly relatable. A group of young students are part of O Group in Mrs. Dillworth's class. The character development of this group of friends is what keeps the chapters rolling by. The group feels inadequate because they aren't allowed to read books from the big shelves in the library.
One day they decided to steal a large book and they meet up in a cleaning closet to discover it is a Thesaurus.
Each friend takes turns bringing the book home. Each chapter develops each student in their home life and back to school to reunite with the group. They don't want to get caught by the teacher or librarian, because they are aware the book is missing from the library, and they're being questioned which is a test of their friendship.
The ending is exciting, life changing for them, and continues to strengthen their friendship. My kids enjoyed the story although it is a little dated for the times.