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The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #51
Dragons Don't Throw Snowballs
A funny and spooky new adventure in the best-selling and beloved series about a town where the grown-ups are more than a little weird.
There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. But could the town's mad scientist really turn his snow sculpture into a living, breathing dragon?
The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!
There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. But could the town's mad scientist really turn his snow sculpture into a living, breathing dragon?
The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!
80 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Dadey
233 books326 followersDebbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at Facebook.com/debbiedadey.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 13, 2023
This feels like the authors had to write another book but didn’t know what to write about and this book was born out of that need. The whole idea of it just doesn’t add up because this isn’t a dragon; it’s a snow dragon. So, you know…
It felt like it started in the middle of the story, or between two stories, like we were missing something. Apparently there’s a scientist working at the museum who the kids thought made a Frankenstein monster. Haven’t read that book, but here he goes again I guess, making something else and bringing it to life.
This time Liza believes, because she saw the dragon wink at her, and none of the others do. It’s all very crazy and unbelievable how this small group of friends take turns believing in supernatural creatures. In one book one kid believes wholeheartedly, but in the next they scornfully disregard the belief of something else. It makes no sense!
It starts off with the boys clobbering the girls with snowballs, just a vicious snowball fight in which the boys have amassed an unreal amount of snowballs and are going at the girls with no mercy. At one point the attack on Liza is compared to hawks zeroing in on a helpless mouse. They were hitting the girls in their stomachs and after Liza fell, they continued to pepper her with snowballs.
It was explained that the guys must have filled their jacket pockets with snowballs prior to this. How many snowballs can fit in a pocket?? They had an unrealistic amount of snowballs. And I really didn’t like how they were going after the girls like that.
Liza was calling for help and there was a rumble and a cloud blocked the sun and a giant clump of snow fell on the boys. That was sign #2. Then she noticed the dragon wasn’t in its place and later she saw it smile at her, and it went missing again. They got snowed in at school and it looked like it was going back on the Mrs. Jeepers thing, and I was like the focus isn’t on her anymore! She had her own book. The kids were worrying about sleeping overnight with a vampire and vampires not sleeping.
They heard the loud sounds like the dragon was walking. A bright light was also seen at the scientist’s house. Liza found a scale but Eddie said it was just a piece of paper. Howie suddenly became a believer.
The 4 went to the scientist’s backyard and found tracks all over and burned branches. Liza said the dragon was mad because he didn’t have a treasure so she had the idea to collect treasure inside the school and put them in a box. Carrie put in her plastic ring, kids put in books and pictures and gel pens and gum. One even had a piece of fool’s gold. Of course…
Melody put in the class picture. Liza put in a hand drawn picture of the 4 of them and said nothing is more important than their friendship. I wasn’t really getting the friend vibes from the way the boys went after them with snowballs and the way they treated her for believing it was a dragon. And I hated the kids losing their prized possessions to this snow creature.
They left it in the backyard and checked it the next day. Their box was sitting on the curb and it was a little singed but all the items were out. The kids had heard flying and purring noises in the night. Liza said maybe the dragon just needed a hint about what really matters.
I didn’t like this story. It didn’t work for me because the dragon was made of snow, so that just threw it off.
It felt like it started in the middle of the story, or between two stories, like we were missing something. Apparently there’s a scientist working at the museum who the kids thought made a Frankenstein monster. Haven’t read that book, but here he goes again I guess, making something else and bringing it to life.
This time Liza believes, because she saw the dragon wink at her, and none of the others do. It’s all very crazy and unbelievable how this small group of friends take turns believing in supernatural creatures. In one book one kid believes wholeheartedly, but in the next they scornfully disregard the belief of something else. It makes no sense!
It starts off with the boys clobbering the girls with snowballs, just a vicious snowball fight in which the boys have amassed an unreal amount of snowballs and are going at the girls with no mercy. At one point the attack on Liza is compared to hawks zeroing in on a helpless mouse. They were hitting the girls in their stomachs and after Liza fell, they continued to pepper her with snowballs.
It was explained that the guys must have filled their jacket pockets with snowballs prior to this. How many snowballs can fit in a pocket?? They had an unrealistic amount of snowballs. And I really didn’t like how they were going after the girls like that.
Liza was calling for help and there was a rumble and a cloud blocked the sun and a giant clump of snow fell on the boys. That was sign #2. Then she noticed the dragon wasn’t in its place and later she saw it smile at her, and it went missing again. They got snowed in at school and it looked like it was going back on the Mrs. Jeepers thing, and I was like the focus isn’t on her anymore! She had her own book. The kids were worrying about sleeping overnight with a vampire and vampires not sleeping.
They heard the loud sounds like the dragon was walking. A bright light was also seen at the scientist’s house. Liza found a scale but Eddie said it was just a piece of paper. Howie suddenly became a believer.
The 4 went to the scientist’s backyard and found tracks all over and burned branches. Liza said the dragon was mad because he didn’t have a treasure so she had the idea to collect treasure inside the school and put them in a box. Carrie put in her plastic ring, kids put in books and pictures and gel pens and gum. One even had a piece of fool’s gold. Of course…
Melody put in the class picture. Liza put in a hand drawn picture of the 4 of them and said nothing is more important than their friendship. I wasn’t really getting the friend vibes from the way the boys went after them with snowballs and the way they treated her for believing it was a dragon. And I hated the kids losing their prized possessions to this snow creature.
They left it in the backyard and checked it the next day. Their box was sitting on the curb and it was a little singed but all the items were out. The kids had heard flying and purring noises in the night. Liza said maybe the dragon just needed a hint about what really matters.
I didn’t like this story. It didn’t work for me because the dragon was made of snow, so that just threw it off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2021
I finally finished this series! (With the exception of two books that I couldn't get from the library.)
The books were cute overall, but there were more misses than hits for me. But, this was a really good last book, actually.
The books were cute overall, but there were more misses than hits for me. But, this was a really good last book, actually.
February 12, 2023
It’s mentioned there’s a fourth-grade bully that picks on Eddie, when in another book Eddie was described as a bully, and I couldn’t see why the three kids were friends with him. It seems like the authors can’t keep up with what they’ve written to forget a detail like that.
The snow dragon is seen to appearing to be winking and moving.
The kids get snowed in at school, which seems unlikely. They should have left school early when it started snowing hard rather than to keep them there until the roads were impassable, forcing them to spend the night at school.
They go to investigate the snow dragon, hear a big swooshing sound outside, they go running back to the gym, and the sound follows them through the hallway & they fall asleep! They don’t even find out what it is.
They make a “treasure box” for the dragon, after Liza somehow determines the dragon won’t leave until he gets treasure. Just odd bits of stuff from people in school. They leave it in Dr. Victor’s backyard and go there the next day to find the box singed and the treasure missing.
“Silly dragon,” Eddie said. “He didn’t know the difference between a real treasure and a fake one.”
“Maybe,” Liza said as she patted Eddie on his back, “the dragon just needed a hint about what REALLY matters.”
Another disappointing read. It barely had any humor in it. No proof it was a dragon. Idk, they’re all too fantastical. If the subject matter was easier to believe in. Another weak story and it’s making me think the only good one was the werewolf one.
The snow dragon is seen to appearing to be winking and moving.
The kids get snowed in at school, which seems unlikely. They should have left school early when it started snowing hard rather than to keep them there until the roads were impassable, forcing them to spend the night at school.
They go to investigate the snow dragon, hear a big swooshing sound outside, they go running back to the gym, and the sound follows them through the hallway & they fall asleep! They don’t even find out what it is.
They make a “treasure box” for the dragon, after Liza somehow determines the dragon won’t leave until he gets treasure. Just odd bits of stuff from people in school. They leave it in Dr. Victor’s backyard and go there the next day to find the box singed and the treasure missing.
“Silly dragon,” Eddie said. “He didn’t know the difference between a real treasure and a fake one.”
“Maybe,” Liza said as she patted Eddie on his back, “the dragon just needed a hint about what REALLY matters.”
Another disappointing read. It barely had any humor in it. No proof it was a dragon. Idk, they’re all too fantastical. If the subject matter was easier to believe in. Another weak story and it’s making me think the only good one was the werewolf one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2024
My Reaction: I love that this book has very small chapters, I mentioned in another book review it helps the children not to feel overwhelmed and they can stop and be able to come back and know what they read. I do believe this book is a great way to transition from picture books to early chapter books, there are a few 50-cent words but not many. The storyline keeps the children wanting to know what is going to happen (cliffhangers) and that is one thing I love in books.
Illustrations: The illustrations are more cartoon-like, there are still great details and movements to be seen, for example, on pages 7 and 10. Other things are being able to see emotions on the character's face or how the illustrator uses sweat drops around a character's face. pg. 28. A favorite is on page 24 you can see the shadows of the characters.
I would recommend this book for 2nd to 3rd graders because some words may be too tricky for a first-grader to read and comprehend well. Also, 2nd and 3rd graders would be more fluent in reading the words in my opinion.
I will use this book in the classroom to assess how fluent the reader can be and how they comprehend the story. I could do this by whole book or a few chapters at a time.
*This is the last book of the series of 51 books!
Illustrations: The illustrations are more cartoon-like, there are still great details and movements to be seen, for example, on pages 7 and 10. Other things are being able to see emotions on the character's face or how the illustrator uses sweat drops around a character's face. pg. 28. A favorite is on page 24 you can see the shadows of the characters.
I would recommend this book for 2nd to 3rd graders because some words may be too tricky for a first-grader to read and comprehend well. Also, 2nd and 3rd graders would be more fluent in reading the words in my opinion.
I will use this book in the classroom to assess how fluent the reader can be and how they comprehend the story. I could do this by whole book or a few chapters at a time.
*This is the last book of the series of 51 books!
January 4, 2022
I read this book for my Third/Fourth Grade Battle of The Books afterschool club I run. I have never read the Bailey School series, so I wanted to choose one of their stories for the club to read over winter break. It is definitely an easy read (I read it in one sitting as an adult) for third and fourth graders, and the characters are enjoyable. I thought there was a good amount of mystery...but little to no payoff. They just sort of end the book prematurely and "leave you questioning." That's a good tool sometimes to use as an author...but here I thought it was a cop-out.
June 30, 2024
And with this book, I've completed the series! I remember reading these book's when I was a child. When I was a child, I never got to finish reading them all, but know I can say I have. All the book's in this series were great! There were some that were better then others, but overall I enjoyed reading them all. I'm kind of sad its over.
February 17, 2024
I loved the books I read from this series as a kid. I hadn’t read this one, but I’m trying to read through my TBR of books I own by picking a random title from a box and this book was up. It just felt so unfinished and uneventful. This one was just a miss for me unfortunately.
January 22, 2019
Easy chapter book
January 30, 2024
A cozy winter book to read and a good adventure. I also liked it when the kids spent the night at school.
(Verdict: 6.8/10)
(Verdict: 6.8/10)
May 5, 2016
I picked this because I'm amazed how long the Bailey School Kids continued for years after I left elementary school. Then, the series had just begun in 1991 or so. I think I was in 2nd grade when I first started reading about the Vampire, which was probably '96.
Sorry. I digress.
This story isn't going to make a whole lot of sense, but I still like the imagination & curiosity in it. It kind of reminds me of So Weird (on Disney channel) before that was a thing. The kids kind of investigate some being that isn't/ shouldn't be real, but they can't prove that it's not the thing. lol.
So I still like it. :)
Sorry. I digress.
This story isn't going to make a whole lot of sense, but I still like the imagination & curiosity in it. It kind of reminds me of So Weird (on Disney channel) before that was a thing. The kids kind of investigate some being that isn't/ shouldn't be real, but they can't prove that it's not the thing. lol.
So I still like it. :)
September 16, 2014
The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.
July 29, 2011
The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school
January 5, 2009
I liked this book. It would be very cool to have 3 feet of snow, but I don't think it would be cool to have to stay at school overnight.
August 21, 2009
great when ur bored
July 6, 2012
In chapter 8 there was an entire amusement park made out of snow. I thought it was cool. I want to make one like it in the winter.
November 15, 2013
when liza thinks the towns mad scientist created one of his sculptures to life he friends don't believe her so she sets out to find proof.
April 24, 2015
One of Bailey City's many local local weirdos is erecting intricate snow sculptures and is suspected of being a mad scientist.
July 25, 2023
Cute little winter adventure that tied a few previous characters into the story, pretty cheesy ending but that's typical with this series.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews