Food Chain Frenzy

The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Books #17

by Anne Capeci, John Speirs (Illustrator), Joanna Cole

Arnold, Ms. Frizzle, and the whole Magic School Bus crew find themselves in a Food Chain Frenzy as they digest lots of fab facts on ecosystems and eating habits.

Ms. Frizzle is the weirdest teacher around, and Arnold is her most reluctant student. A field trip on the Magic School Bus can be torture for Arnold, and there is just one thing that can make it his cousin Janet. With his know-it-all relative's visit combined with an all-wheel learning adventure, it is sure to be a school day Arnold won't soon forget. The Friz is always hungry for adventure, and that's just what the class gets. With so much to learn about ecosystems, even Arnold finds himself eating up all the food-chain facts.

Genres: Science, Childrens, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Nonfiction, School, Animals

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Erin Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Food Chain Frenzy by Anne Capeci is a Magic School Bus Adventure. Arnold, the narrator, is telling the story of Ms. Frizzle's class going on a field trip to the science museum. Of course, MS. Frizzle has something other than the science museum in mind in order to teach her students about the food chain.
CRITIQUE: The book is authentic but accurate when it comes to the information conveyed to the reader. The Magic School Bus series helps to teach children because the books are written so that children are asking questions and finding the answers throughout the story. The information is organized because each topic that is brought up is explained more in depth throughout the chapters. The format is appealing to children because the illustrations are fun, while questions and topics of discussion are written on what looks like lined paper in the middle of the pages, creating a school-like feel. The author also uses a clear writing style that shows that she is enthusiastic about the topic, while at the same time keeping the reader learning the entire time.
RESPONSE: I used to watch The Magic School Bus when it was on T.V. and I loved it. It was funny, but really interesting and helpful when you were learning about what the episode was about. Having the book, along with other books in the series, would allow my students to learn in a fun, easy manner, and will encourage my students to ask questions, because you never know what kind of facts or fun could come out of it.

[Sarah Mckelvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I homeschool my daughter and have been teaching her about habitats for science. When we came to food chains, I read this book every night for about a week to help her remember some of the things covered. This book is great because it does not just give facts about food chains in a usual boring, dry way. Rather it brings things to life as Ms. Frizzle once again takes her class on an outrageous field trip. One small fact your child/student will learn, "During photosynthesis, the light energy trapped by the chlorophyll forces molecules apart, freeing hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms. These join together in new combinations to form carbohydrates." P. 26

[Ardyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like old-school Magic Schoolbus -- not the new one with the young, pretty teacher... the old one with the wild, middle-aged teacher -- you'll like this.

We do, and did.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our girls adore Magic School Bus and we've read every book we can get our hands on. This is a great chapter book; it is not too long, and still has lots of pictures. It offers a compreshensive look at food chains and food webs as well as the cycle of life. Our girls especially enjoyed solving the "Incredible Edibles Riddles" before the class did.

Overall, it's an entertaining and exciting story - the author really brings the science to life. We have read most of the books in this series and we will certainly look for the rest of them at our local library.

[Kendra Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food Chain Frenzy (The Magic School Bus) by Anne Capeci, is about Ms. Frizzle’s class taking a field trip to the science museum. This book teaches students about the ecosystem, eating habits, and about the food chain.

The illustrations in this book are fun and informative. The content in this book is very detailed but it is still easy enough for kids to be able to read and understand the material.

This book would be great to inspire a lesson about the food chain. In the class activity, each student would receive a card with a picture of an animal or plant. Then the students will organize themselves into habitat groups and then within their groups, organize into a food chain. The kids can then transfer the information that they learned into a chart.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The MSB chapter books are much better than the picture books. I never liked to read all the little captions and comments in the picture books. The chapter books include some side notes but I don’t feel obligated to read them. My DD and I had some great discussions about the food chain (natural and human-controlled) while reading this book. This book introduced a lot of new vocabulary and ideas to my 5YO.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Magic School Bus Chapter Books are not very interesting or well written. Their only redeeming quality is getting kids who like Magic School Bus picture books weaned off of them.

[Rickieria Means · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never seen a Magic school bus charter booki,but onece
im thinking it would be good.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

the kids I was taking care of loved the magic school bus books also watching it so I started trying to get it all of them.

[Justine]

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[Luke Ewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned that when plants or animals are eaten by other animals or humans energy is absorbed. It is a good science book if you want to learn about food chains- read it!

[kasey]

small group ela novel