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A Diary of a Private School Kid #1

A Diary of a Private School Kid

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Private school is tough: bullies, peer pressure, uniforms, and social issues. You think it's bad being a wimpy kid in public school? Try walking in my shoes for one day! I'm Ben Montgomery and these are my unintentionally hilarious stories of misfortune.

A Diary of a Private School Kid is a funny illustrated chapter book that's entertaining for children, middle school students, and adults.

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2016

6288 people are currently reading
1188 people want to read

About the author

Penn Brooks

16 books15 followers

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5 stars
4,190 (53%)
4 stars
1,621 (20%)
3 stars
997 (12%)
2 stars
430 (5%)
1 star
535 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
1 review9 followers
January 2, 2017
I like turtles

I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles I like turtles this book is great
Profile Image for Flo.
649 reviews2,248 followers
August 4, 2018
By far, the worst part about atending [...] any private school has to be wearing a uniform.

Please. The best thing of going to private school is not having to choose a different outfit every single and eternally awkward day. Aside from that, same hell.

Anyway, a forgettable read. It brought back "Wimpy Kid" memories but in an even duller way.

Aug 3, 18
Profile Image for A.J..
46 reviews
November 15, 2021
Note : The description of private schools in this story is purely made out of stereotypical beliefs



Studying in a private school myself, I Do not agree or relate to any of the incidences shared.



Well, bullying is another topic. Private or government, It doesn't matter. Bullying or bullies exist everywhere.

The issue about uniforms is lame.



Overall I was disappointed by the story.

Final rating - 2.5/5
Not recommended, but you're free to read if you like.
2 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2016
I love how all the drawings are for kids

I love Penn Brooks books the have so much pictures I think Penn Brooks books are better than others. Every one need to read more.
4 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2016
Really.

Great book, excellent read. It is, however, a copy of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. Another one! Do not waste your time with this junk. Get the real books.
Profile Image for Poon Xin Mei .
11 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2018
I felt like this is quite realistic and true .This story may link to some of the kids .As we can see that Ben is the main character. He is trying to show his anger by writing out the story of his schooling life. He is a good person as he had never fight back when he got bullied. The story was quite nice too :)
Profile Image for Ronald Keeler.
846 reviews37 followers
August 18, 2018
Diary Of A Private School Kid by Penn Brooks is a burst of humor for the weekend. There is a lot of humor that leaves me with only one question. Was this written by a really cool kid developing writing skills or was this written by an adult (whatever that means)? The Amazon Author page reveals that Penn Brooks lives with his wife and four children, so another possibility is that he is channeling one or more of his children. Brooks reveals that he likes writing for children and adults who never grew up.

Be sure to look at the line drawings that Brooks includes in somewhat unexpected places during the story. I think they might be more unexpected in the Kindle edition due to formatting. If you are a reader who tends to skip material you consider unimportant, you might overlook these drawings but you should not. Thought went into the drawings and they contribute (add more information) to the story.

The best example of how Brooks gets the different perspectives of children and parents came in a section when Ben got in trouble with the school and the parents asked him an all-important (to them) question. “Do you know how much that school costs?” In Ben’s mind at least was the rejoinder of “No, and what does that have to do with the incident in which I was involved.” Although I have written quotes, it is paraphrasing. And I don’t want to mention where in the story this exchange takes place. Diary is short and worth reading as it is presented. Brooks is skillful in building up a scene to its conclusion. In this case, revealing where in the story I read the above would be a spoiler.

There is something appealing about a writer writing about a child who is doing a writing assignment (which went wrong) which eventually morphed into the child’s hatred of writing. But Ben is only in the fifth grade. Surely he will grow out of his aversion to writing. Everyone has a secret desire to be a writer, eh? (Comment only applicable in Canada).

I found this story available for free (my absolute favorite price) on Amazon. Not through a subscription plan, just a free purchase.
19 reviews4 followers
March 8, 2017
My review

I really think that it teaches kids and adults that everyone has a different life. You may be rich or poorer or in the middle but everyone has different experiences in life and you are special in who you are.
Profile Image for Shabana Mukhtar.
Author 81 books175 followers
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February 14, 2019
I don't fall in the 9-12 age group. I picked up the book because I like illustrated books and I like short reads. I am experimenting with different genres. You know... Trying to read what I generally don't. This book is one of them.

I like the detailed description of every little detail about Ben's house, school, family and friends. Friends he didn't have. But you know what I mean.

I liked it. Read it if you are ready for some humour and satire and want a peek into the life of a young kid.
1 review1 follower
February 15, 2017
This is stupid

Hate it's city for day for Fourth huntress for day for fourth day for fourth day for fourth day for day
1 review1 follower
January 24, 2017
Very realistic and there are also kids like Ben in real life

5 stars
Very good way of wiring and I appreciate the author of this book for doing a good job :)
Profile Image for Alicia Huxtable.
1,910 reviews60 followers
January 25, 2019
Amusing

A highly amusing and quick read that readers of any age can enjoy. Will poor Ben ever learn? Hopefully there are more highly amusing stories first
Profile Image for Solanki Halder.
18 reviews5 followers
January 4, 2021
It was a easy read. It was free on kindle so I got it in spite of it being a children's book. It was funny, well written and provided a quick respite from more serious reads.
Profile Image for Elaine.
Author 29 books29 followers
November 3, 2016
A fifth grader in a private school does a lot of complaining from having to wear a school uniform, to defending himself from the public school kids on the bus. Funny at times to hear his reaction to situations like not having a clean uniform to wear, (his mom was too busy to wash it!) and to having to live with the nickname "Egg".
I did not care for his way of bullying a fellow student just because he was sure he had stolen his backpack. When he finally discovered that the boy hadn't stolen it, it seemed he wasn't at all great about apologizing and was too concerned with having the other students look up to him for his new
aggressive manner.
From being bullied to bullying. Definitely not what a kid should do!
Profile Image for E.C. Kraeft.
Author 3 books34 followers
April 29, 2017
Laugh out loud funny! As a graduate of public school, I didn’t think I would be able to relate. Yet after the first page, this amusing tale of a private school kid named, Ben, had me laughing until my stomach hurt. I couldn’t put the book down until it was finished and I quickly invested in the second installment, Another Diary of a Private School Kid: Hot Dog Day! Great, entertaining read!
1 review
September 30, 2019
Well of thought that you were just trying to choppy diary of a wimpy kid because it had the same plot line

I hated that book because you coppyed books so I hated it you got it you suck at writing books.


1 review
December 9, 2016
Why u should read it

This book is fantastic cause it helps u lrean not to
Jump to conclusion and not to insult people .
1 review1 follower
February 7, 2017
Amazing

It was funny, and was very realistic.
Great book!
I found it very close as I also go to private school
Profile Image for Kelly.
783 reviews38 followers
September 29, 2019
Too much trying to be like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Pkus it's sad when the bullied turns into the bully. Although I am glad he did learn a lesson in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review
February 2, 2020
it looks intesting and when you read it it is intresting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ginger.
937 reviews
December 16, 2019
I read this thinking that maybe my grandson (he’s 10 yrs old) would like it. I decided I don’t want him to read it, of course I can’t control what he may get from his school library (he lives 5 hours away from me).
I know it’s supposed to be funny, but I don’t find it amusing for a really good kid to go from being bullied to being THE bully. Even if apologies were given (at the end), I still feel this book sends the wrong message. Maybe I’m being too sensitive??
I don’t and won’t be recommending this book or the ones that follow it in the series.
Very disappointed!!
Profile Image for Sandra Lopez.
Author 3 books348 followers
February 25, 2020
Story is just that—the diary of a private school kid. It narrates the shortcomings of a 5th grade private school kid with funny, cartoony illustrations. It was kinda like reading episodes of Doug.

I agree that the worst part about private school is: the uniform. Having to squeeze into an old uniform because your mom didn’t do laundry. That was funny. Then you have to wear the smelly uniform? Too funny!

Witty, kinda funny, and, of course, dorky! A nice and easy read.
Profile Image for Ganesh Gutti .
13 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2021
Funny

I liked the way the struggles of Ben are penned down.
Very relatable..
You suddenly stand up for yourself (bully your opponent)and then regret it 😂😂
Profile Image for Lisa.
205 reviews1 follower
November 21, 2016
Really liked it

I was a parochial school kid too, that's why I chose it. Although, mine was an Independent Fundamental Baptist one, located in the basement of our church. It was a cute book. Though, not quite what I thought it would be, thus only three stars. I thought it would be a bit more detailed, and, a hit longer. However, it is cute & a younger person would like it, especially with the little cartoons. I read a brief bio about the author, not wearing plaid ties. To this day, I can not wear pantyhose, black shirts, or, white blouses.
Profile Image for Serena.
277 reviews3 followers
January 10, 2018
A Diary of a Private School Kid

This is a light read for an adult and probably a good read for its target audience. It is a good book that intends to gently teach the reader a few moral lessons.
1 review
June 6, 2018
AMAZE-BALLS

I chose five out of five because it's an amazing book and teaches an important lesson.I would have liked to know what happened to Sante but other than that it's amazing!!❤
Profile Image for ahava.
Author 4 books6 followers
March 23, 2019
A quick, fun read.

This is both funny and could be used as a teaching tool. I originally downloaded it just to see what life in private school would be like since I went to public. Definitely a fun story that teaches a life lesson: don’t jump to conclusions.
64 reviews
June 30, 2019
Average

The usual I'm bullied story. I didn't appreciate that Ben turned into a bully when he verbally attacked Sante. The story would have been more interesting if Dante really had stolen Ben's backpack.
Author 1 book69 followers
July 8, 2019
Ben Montgomery attends a private school. In a funny way, he talks about bullies, peer pressure, uniforms, and social issues.

It's interesting getting into the mind of a middle schooler. Penn Brooks captured it. Good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews

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