What do you think?
Rate this book
The Night the Whole Class Slept Over
Tired of living in the back-to-nature fashion of his parents, Dan Wakefield yearns for a "normal" life like the other kids, and he gets his chance during the annual class sleepover at the local library--a sleepover that becomes anything but normal. Reprint.
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Stella Pevsner
28 books12 followersStella Pevsner, who is the author of eighteen books for children from 8 to 13 years, was voted Illinois Children's Book Author of the Year 1987. Among her awards are The Golden Kite; the Carl Sandburg, the Society of Midland Authors, Arkansas State, Virginia State, and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher.
After a career in advertising and freelance writing, she turned to children's books at the request of a young son who said his favorite author "didn't write fast enough." She wrote a book to fulfill her role as "the invincible parent" and enjoyed it so much that after the book-by-request (Break a Leg!) was published she kept on writing.
Early favorites among her books are The Night the Whole Class Slept Over; Me, My Goat and My Sister's Wedding; A Smart Kid Like You; Cute is a 4-Letter Word; Sister of the Quints; I'm Emma: I'm a Quint. One of her prize-winning novels, And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine describes how a girl survives life with an out-of-bounds teenage sister and then a greater family tragedy. Teen suicide and its after-effects on the family is the subject of another awards book, How Could You Do It, Diane?
Her experiences tutoring at Literacy Chicago led to a book which depicted the life of her Chinese student, an outcast in north Viet Nam during the war. The young girl, along with other children, hid in the jungle during air raids, and finally, was forced to flee with her family. The book, called Sing for Your Father, Su Phan, is treasured by the former student, now a Chicago salon owner, as a record of more difficult times. A continued association with the Chinese family inspired Stella Pevsner to write a book about the friendship between an Asian and Caucasian girl, titled, Would My Fortune Cookie Lie?
Jon, Flora, and the Odd-Eyed Cat describes the secret meetings on summer nights between a boy recovering from rheumatic fever and the never-seen-in-daylight girl who owns a mysterious cat. A girl who feels the whole world has gone berserk is the heroine of Is Everyone Moonburned but Me?
"Although some of my books deal with serious situations in the lives of children, my underlying theme is that there is always hope and yes, humor, in day-to-day living," the author says. In her frequent speeches to school children, she urges them to do their best since, in the words of Samuel Boswell, "The future is purchased by the present." She hopes that kids who enjoy her books will be encouraged to go on reading forever.
After a career in advertising and freelance writing, she turned to children's books at the request of a young son who said his favorite author "didn't write fast enough." She wrote a book to fulfill her role as "the invincible parent" and enjoyed it so much that after the book-by-request (Break a Leg!) was published she kept on writing.
Early favorites among her books are The Night the Whole Class Slept Over; Me, My Goat and My Sister's Wedding; A Smart Kid Like You; Cute is a 4-Letter Word; Sister of the Quints; I'm Emma: I'm a Quint. One of her prize-winning novels, And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine describes how a girl survives life with an out-of-bounds teenage sister and then a greater family tragedy. Teen suicide and its after-effects on the family is the subject of another awards book, How Could You Do It, Diane?
Her experiences tutoring at Literacy Chicago led to a book which depicted the life of her Chinese student, an outcast in north Viet Nam during the war. The young girl, along with other children, hid in the jungle during air raids, and finally, was forced to flee with her family. The book, called Sing for Your Father, Su Phan, is treasured by the former student, now a Chicago salon owner, as a record of more difficult times. A continued association with the Chinese family inspired Stella Pevsner to write a book about the friendship between an Asian and Caucasian girl, titled, Would My Fortune Cookie Lie?
Jon, Flora, and the Odd-Eyed Cat describes the secret meetings on summer nights between a boy recovering from rheumatic fever and the never-seen-in-daylight girl who owns a mysterious cat. A girl who feels the whole world has gone berserk is the heroine of Is Everyone Moonburned but Me?
"Although some of my books deal with serious situations in the lives of children, my underlying theme is that there is always hope and yes, humor, in day-to-day living," the author says. In her frequent speeches to school children, she urges them to do their best since, in the words of Samuel Boswell, "The future is purchased by the present." She hopes that kids who enjoy her books will be encouraged to go on reading forever.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 6, 2017
Moving from New Mexico to frozen, wintry Wisconsin isn't easy in itself, but when Dan's parents start talking about moving into the 'unspoiled', uninhabited northern part of the state, Dan begins to worry. Initially arriving in Wisconsin, they are staying with his grandparents in a huge house that is host to summer vacationers.
Dan enrolls in school in this sleepy town and makes some friends even though most of his free time is spent babysitting his non-talking, defiant little sister, Martha. After the Christmas holidays, Dan's parents head out on a quest to find a rustic cabin in the woods to buy leaving Dan and Martha with the grandparents. During this time, Dan is looking forward to a fun time at a library sleep-over with his entire class. One problem: he, once again, has to babysit Martha until his grandparents can pick her up at the library much later in the evening.
But...as oftentimes it does, a big problem arises and Dan must make some quick decisions. It is a good thing that Dan's new friends are loyal, brave, and cooperative, too. It might just make the difference in someone's well-being. Yet this unforeseen event makes the parents rethink their outlandish, dangerous decision to move the family.
The Night the Whole Class Slept Over is hopelessly outdated and simplistic. Probably will not appeal to today's tweens, however it is a quick, easy read.
Dan enrolls in school in this sleepy town and makes some friends even though most of his free time is spent babysitting his non-talking, defiant little sister, Martha. After the Christmas holidays, Dan's parents head out on a quest to find a rustic cabin in the woods to buy leaving Dan and Martha with the grandparents. During this time, Dan is looking forward to a fun time at a library sleep-over with his entire class. One problem: he, once again, has to babysit Martha until his grandparents can pick her up at the library much later in the evening.
But...as oftentimes it does, a big problem arises and Dan must make some quick decisions. It is a good thing that Dan's new friends are loyal, brave, and cooperative, too. It might just make the difference in someone's well-being. Yet this unforeseen event makes the parents rethink their outlandish, dangerous decision to move the family.
The Night the Whole Class Slept Over is hopelessly outdated and simplistic. Probably will not appeal to today's tweens, however it is a quick, easy read.
Read
February 23, 2007Elementary school favorite!
September 26, 2022
I read this book when I was younger and thought I'd give it a reread. It is very dated, talking about things like older computers and having the chicken pox. And I really didn't like how the main character(and the author in general) dealt with the 2 year old sister, but it wasn't the worst book I've read this year.
February 3, 2025
I loved this book as a kid and still loved it as an adult. The characters were vibrant and distinctive.
My only complaint was that the end got a bit cheesy and broke my immersion. The whole class chanting Dan's name was a bit much for an otherwise grounded story. Still, it was a great read that reminded me of third grade.
My only complaint was that the end got a bit cheesy and broke my immersion. The whole class chanting Dan's name was a bit much for an otherwise grounded story. Still, it was a great read that reminded me of third grade.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2021
I remember reading this good in grade school and loving it.
October 28, 2012
You will see, after this year, I read fewer and fewer children's books for a long time. My daughter was born 11/11/93; I had to take early maternity leave in October of 1993 and I wasn't around children's middle grade and young adult fiction until 1999, when I came back to libraries.
So, this is not a review - but sue me, I'm lucky I wrote this stuff down or believe me, by this point in time, I remember nothing of anything.
So, this is not a review - but sue me, I'm lucky I wrote this stuff down or believe me, by this point in time, I remember nothing of anything.
June 29, 2016
This was a book in contention for the Maud Hart Lovelace book award during the 1995-6 school year. This was my response at that time:
(And my description is completely different than the description on GR!) A boy moves to Minnesota with his artistic family and makes lots of new friends in school, knowing he'll be moving out into the wilderness soon.
(And my description is completely different than the description on GR!) A boy moves to Minnesota with his artistic family and makes lots of new friends in school, knowing he'll be moving out into the wilderness soon.
July 7, 2009
Not half as exciting as I expected it to be, but I've wanted to spend the night at the library ever since. It also made me wonder if moving to a place where it snows would ever be a good idea.
May 12, 2010
One of the first books I ever read... Loved this book!
February 16, 2012
A heartwarming Hallowe'en tale for the younger set.
August 8, 2016
This book is amazing with a capital a. I love every word and detail about this book. I will definitely read this book again.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews