Leon and the Spitting Image

Leon Zeisel #1

by Allen Kurzweil, Mark Linn-Baker (Reading)

Leon and the Spitting Image is about a hotel full of animals. It's about an evil ice maker. It's about glass eyeballs and human catapults. It's about really old panty hose and Possibly Fake Hair.

But mostly it's about Leon Zeisel and his epic quest to survive fourth grade. What's stopping him? Two things. First, there's Miss Hagmeyer. She's a supernaturally strict teacher with ears that resemble giant rotting mushrooms. And then there is Leon's archenemy, Lumpkin the Pumpkin, a human tank with a deadly dodgeball throw known to all as the sidewinder.

Luckily, Leon has two friends, Lily-Matisse and P.W., who will stand by him no matter what -- even if his magical, mysterious plans for rescue and revenge involve . . . SPIT!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Young Adult, Humor, School

Audiobook

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Allen Kurzweil is an American novelist, journalist, editor, and lecturer. He is the author of four works of fiction, most notably A Case of Curiosities, as well as a memoir Whipping Boy. He is also the co-inventor, with his son Max, of Potato Chip Science, an eco-friendly experiment kit for grade schoolers. He is a cousin of Ray Kurzweil and brother of Vivien Schmidt.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

spitting image noun [From Middle English. See spite. Date: circa 14th century] Perfect likeness of a person; an exact image. Some experts think that "spit" is a corruption of "spirit." Others maintain that the phrase invokes magic - that armred with a sample of someone's saliva ("spit") and a doll made to resemble the person ("image"), a sorcerer could cast all-powerful spells on a hapless victim.
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Leon goes to a strange school where they place great importance on fine motor skills , and his new teacher, Miss Hagmeyer, is all about sewing. In her class, spool work is schoolwork , and the students spend a great deal of time making stuffed animals, or animiles, as the teacher calls them. What's up with that?

This was an unusual read. The back cover of the book offers no synopsis, but from the oddly shod foot on the cover, I assumed the story involved a boy discovering that his teacher was a witch. Well, Miss Hagmeyer is something like a witch . . . though it starts with another letter of the alphabet. And, she definitely is not fond of Leon. I was, however. He's bright and funny, and he lives in a hotel where his mom is a concierge.

The story . . . well, I'm still not sure about that; the star-count rose and fell as I turned the pages.

This book, like every book I read, started out at four stars. I loved the premise, and was curious about what was to come. At around the halfway point, Leon creates his ultimate stuffed animile - a spitting image of Miss Hagmeyer - which he discovers can be used like a voodoo doll to make her do his bidding. My interest level and rating dropped to three stars. It got even worse when Leon and his pals attempt to use the doll to get revenge on the class bully, and end up starting a cafeteria food fight. Kids may love this part, but I was yawning. At this point, I even considered giving up on the book, but I'm glad I didn't because the ending was even better than the one I'd been hoping for.

So, back to four stars for Leon and his teacher, who it turns out is not a witch, but just a weird, cranky, out-of-date curiosity in need of special handling. Kind of like a lot of people I know, including yours truly. Come to think of it . . . I do enjoy making stuffed animiles, I mean, animals . . .

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon hat für arbeiten mit Nadel und Faden nichts übrig um so härter trifft es ihn, dass die neue Lehrerin, die nebenbei bemerkt wie eine Hexe aussieht, völlig versessen aufs Nähen ist. Plötzlich ist Leons Versetzung gefährdet und zu dem wird er auch noch von seinem Klassenkameraden Lumpkin gemobbt.
Das Buch hat viele skurrile Einfälle. So lebt Leon mit seiner Mutter in einem Hotelzimmer, wo ihn in der Nacht die Eiskönigin vom Schlafen abhält. Ein bisschen unheimlich, ein wenig zauberhaft, so sieht das neue Schuljahr für Leon und seine beiden Freunde aus. Motivierendes Zitat aus dem Buch 'Leidenschaft und Übung. Verbindet beides, und ihr werdet jedes Mal ein Wunder vollbringen.'

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent children's book that adults will enjoy. It's about a fourth-grader who lives in a hotel with his single mom, and has a fascination with geography. He learns about the world by asking his taxi drivers where they are from, then tracks their origins on his map at home. He has a couple of good friends, one mean teacher who makes her students learn how to sew and make strange animals, and one bad bully. But what happens at school is nothing short of magical.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon goes to a "classical" school and isn't doing well with coordination skills. School has just started and his new teacher is all about sewing. Classroom projects are about sewing stuffed animals named "animiles". Everyday she wears "eyeballs" that coordinated with the upcoming projects. Can this class get any weirder? (Yes)

[Angela9600 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had listened to these in order but either way- I really enjoy this author and this series.

[07TyraN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon and the spitting image by Allen kurzweil is a fantastic book to read with only three hundred and two pages, its full of excitment and laughter through the whole book! The main charaters are leon ,bhis friends and Miss Hagmyer.The basic story is that leon barley passes 3rd grade and is trying to do well his fourth grade year, but he has a problem this fourth grade teacher miss Hagmyer is a evil lady that dresses in black and only cares about sewing. The conflic is when he makes a doll that might make his passing grade into 5th grade. somthing happends to the doll and everything falls apart.My favorite part of this book is when he meets his teacher for the first time and her room is full of glass eyes and other materials used for sewing and he gets scared.My least favorite part is the big surprise at the end, i thought the end came to soon.I recommend this book to people who love to laugh and have a little fun. :)

[Pamela Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inventive story that reminded me at times of the absurdity of Roald Dahl. Leon is a clumsy fourth grader who attends a school that emphasizes fine motor development. To a kid with coordination issues, this is a nightmare. Fourth grade starts, and Leon's teacher uses sewing to teach throughout the entire school year. A kids' book with a focus on sewing? Sounds odd, but it works.

Add to this the general quirkiness of Leon's life: he and his mother live in a hotel that caters to the nuttier side of trade conventions, an evil ice machine, and Leon's taxi driver collection all add to the fun, lighthearted tone of the book. Kurzweil manages to keep the tone light while addressing some of the issues that elementary school kids face, such as bullying, difficult teachers, negotiating with friends, and subtler themes of morality, justice, and retribution.

Terrific kids novel, probably best for older elementary ages. If you enjoy Roald Dahl, this would be a good choice.

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "read" the audio book, and loved it. Leon is such a likeable character, and the story is fun. The book seemed really long to me and I was shocked halfway through when the doll Leon makes suddenly gets magical powers, but it's based enough in the real world (like the first half) that I could swallow it and still enjoy the story. Nothing against fantasy, just the first half of the book is totally mundane. The ending is also satisfying.

[Pandaluff · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd favorite book ever! Don't be fooled by the cover, the book is really good and funny!
I think the author is very creative and has a great sense of humor! If you've already read this book, read the sequel, "Leon and the Champion Chip"
YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is entertaining from the start. Leon is a boy who lives with his mother in a grand hotel where she works. The hotel is populated with interesting characters, many animals, and an ancient, cranky ice machine Leon refers to as "the Ice Queen." He begins the fourth grade at school where he encounters his new teacher, Miss Cronheim. Besides being generally strict and seemingly being able to hear everything, Cronheim trains her class in the art of sewing. She is at time positively draconian with her grading and expectations. After many sewing projects, Leon creates a perfect likeness of Miss Cronheim which is eventually doused in the disgusting spit of his gym teacher. Far from ruined, this spit magically turns the likeness of his teacher into a voodoo doll he can use to control her. Filled with magic and wacky developments, this story is a great book for upper elementary readers. I would argue that this is also a fine example of a story with magical realism. Read Leon and the Spitting Image for a fun, quality adventure or recommend that adventure to children that might be interested.

[Leanne Riegel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the sequel to this book at a middle school book fair, read it half a dozen times, and loved it. 15 years later here I am reading the first book in the series. I enjoyed getting to know the backstory to the main character, Leon, and his friends PW and Lily Matisse. I also rather enjoyed the peek inside a 4th grade classroom doing project based learning; whether the author intended it or not, they describe an incredibly detailed and well-rounded curriculum to teach 4th grade skills via the Middle Ages. I enjoyed most of the story, but found the magic to be hard to accept. Magic should follow its own rules, and this magic seemed to be making itself up on the spot at times.

Overall, Leon and the Champion Chip rules the day, but the Spitting Image is worth a read anyway.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon is going into the fourth grade, and so far school has not been that great because his teachers keep sending home bad reports about him. This year he has Miss Hagmeyer for his teacher; she not only is extremely strict, but she has a thing about sewing animiles (not animals), nine for the year. When Leon finishes his final project (a spitting image of his teacher), he finds that he can control his teacher by moving his doll certain ways. What every kid dreams about, having control over his teacher.

[Jacob Bornheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisited this book from my youth, since it showed up in my local Little Free Library. It's lovely! I feel like I understand more about how I became who I am after rereading this. This book has a bizarre focus on poppet magic and the medieval period, but being set in modern New York ends up feeling a little magical realist. Yep, those descriptors could fit most books I own pretty well. Overall the book was pretty funny, even as an adult. A simple and fun story that doesn't get in its own way.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first half of this book. It was totally plausible, yet creative and I really enjoyed the characters. The story took a weird turn about halfway through, which I didn't love, but we continued listening and it was still all right. We listened to this in the car and it was 5 CD's, which is a little long for my younger 2. My older 2 boys both really seemed to enjoy it though.

[Beth Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book about a struggling 4th grader. A typical kid struggles with a perceivable mean teacher and a bully in his class. The creativity of the story was wonderful. The kids had to spend 4th grade learning to sew and learning about medieval times. All sorts of silly things woven into the story made it a pleasure to read. (and increase your knowledge of geography just a bit)

[Heidi A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon is the sweetest most lovable boy having a tough start to the fourth grade. His best friends lily-Matisse and P.W. help him to turn around his hard year with hard work, laughter and a few hi-jinx along the way. I like the authors way to describe the everyday in an unusual way. The ice queen and her spell to keep everyone awake is a good example.

[Andi_banandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really clever. The book had an interesting premise and background world. I liked the characters and the way elements were introduced earlier in the book and then later had something done with them that made those aspects important and moved the plot along.

[🌙 Jenn 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 year old and we enjoyed it a lot! Since she will be in fourth grade next year, we were able to talk about a lot of similarities and differences between her school and Leon’s school.

[Gena Lott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not funny enough to be a comedy, not real enough to be realistic fiction or fantastical enough to be a fantasy.
The premise was weak, and it just didn't entertain me, I can't imagine it would engage kids either.

[Concetta Kellough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had likable characters and it was quite funny. I think most kids who are middle elementary (4th-5th grade) would enjoy it.

[Shafia Anwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really would love to take control of my teacher! But sewing in class like wth

[Ann Zito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun! Interesting way to deal with a crazy teacher.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9-year-old son and I read this together and both enjoyed it very much!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars on this fun read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Keri Agresti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my students for the first time and they absolutely loved it. Great examples of figurative language as well!

[Kat Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

liked this so much as a kid i bought it as an adult and liked it a lot again. ten

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend the book Leon and the Spitting Image by Allen Kurzweil. This book is funny. It follows Leon and his classmates, and it tells you what Leon thinks, hears, and sees. This book has a second book after it following the adventures of Leon, the main character. The book is called Leon and the Champion Chip. Leon and the Spitting Image’s story line could be similar to another book, but I haven’t read one yet. This book would be geared towards children and adults ages 10 and up. This book has some advanced vocabulary in it that younger readers may not understand unless reading with and adult.
Leon and the Spitting Image takes place at The Classical School which is where Leon goes to school. This book also takes place at the Trimore Hotel where Leon’s mom works, and where they live. School is where Leon has all of his troubles. His troubles include Mrs. Hagmeyer, Henry Lumpkin, and animiles. At the Trimore Hotel Leon has his, kind mother, his helpful friend Maria, and Frau Haffrenreffer. There are many themes to this story, but one of them is sleep can help you work better. Another theme is with hard work and drive you can conquer any challenge.
Leon is the main character of the book. He has troubles at school with a bully, and his evil teacher. At home Leon has a loving caring mother, and many friends to help him through the 4th grade. One of Leon’s best friends is P.W., he is the friend that comes up with the plan, and loves action. P.W. is all about revenge, and experiments. Leon’s other best friend is Lily-Matisse. She is more of the careful one, when they do the experiments she is always in lookout. She also doesn’t like to get caught. Out of the friend group she is the logical one. When P.W. wants to do an experiment she always makes sure it’s logical, and they won’t get in trouble.
Leon’s mother, Emma Zeizel, is a hard working mom who works at the reception desk at the Trimore Hotel. She works days and nights, but is always supportive of Leon, and his school work. Also at the Hotel is Leon’s friend, and his mom’s co-worker Maria. She is the maid, but when she has time she loves to sew. In the lobby of the Trimore is a bakery. The baker is Leon’s friend, Frau Haffrenreffer. She makes amazing pastries that everyone loves. Lastly, there is Leon’s favorite cab driver is Napoleon. He’ll pick up Leon from school and drop him off since the bus doesn’t go by the Trimore. Leon will talk to him about his day, and he will try to cheer him up.
At school Leon hates, and tries to avoid at all costs is the school bully, Henry Lumpkin. He is the most rude to Leon, but the whole class is scared of him, and nobody likes him, therefore he has no friends. Next, is the teacher, Mrs. Hagmeyer. She can hear anything, and everything. She is also obsessed with sewing. Through the book she makes them do a number of different projects. In her class there are some very strong feelings about her. Mrs. Hagmeyer is my favorite though because of a surprise at the end of the book, you’ll have to read to find out what is is. Lastly Coach Kasperitis is the gym teacher, and the only teacher Leon likes. He has a problem with chewing tobacco, but that rarely bothers anyone. Leon even has trouble in gym class because of Lumpkin, he always whips Leon with the hardest dodgeballs in gym.
Overall this book is great, and I definitely recommend reading it. There are some relatable characters. In Leon and the Spitting Image it is very easy to create favorite, and least favorite characters. My favorite part of this book is that it’s taken from the students perspective, and the whole story in general is very relatable for me being in 7th grade. I love this story, it has many twists and turns, and feel good moments. In this book it isn’t predictable, and anything can happen at any time. I can’t wait to read Leon and the Champion Chip.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leon and the Spitting Image (Paperback)
by Allen Kurzweil
Cindy Xu

I think everyone who reads Leon and the Spitting Image can relate to it because it is all about a boy who struggles with his new year of school and with his strict teacher and he thinks is the worst teacher in the world. A young boy, Leon starts his fourth grade year with a bad start. In the beginning he struggles to find out what was written in his hidden confidential repot. Soon as he starts his fourth grade year he encounters his new teacher Miss. Hagmeyer and starts off on the wrong food with her. Miss. Hagmeyer who wears old panty hoses and possibly fake hair is going to make the life of Leon Zeisel miserable.
You would never guess what this terrible teacher is making the students of Leon's class do... they have to make DOLLS! This shocked me too, like what teacher makes their students knit dolls? Well, Leon struggles to make the dolls and is really scared that he would fail the grade because he can't knit a desent doll. And in his class Lumpkin the Pumpkin makes him unable to survive!
Luckily, Leon has friends who will stand by him even if his magical plans for rescue and revenge involve ... SPIT! He is going to get Miss. Hagmeyer with his devious plan. Control the teacher through the doll that he make? Is that even possible? At the end you all learn a big secret about Miss. Hagmeyer, it would blow your mind!