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Quiet, Please!
Librarian Kendall Dickinson is overdue for a do-over. Unfortunately, she’s clueless about who she really is or who she even wants to be. One thing she’s certain she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s back in her small hometown in North Carolina because she failed miserably at her first grown-up job and relationship. When she’s offered a job as a school librarian, surrounded by two of her least favorite things—kids and noise—she reasons, well, how hard can it be?She’s about to find out. In addition to a precocious, feline-obsessed kindergartner, a walking jukebox of a music teacher, a birdbrained principal, a sardonic secretary, and a fourth grade teacher who missed her calling as a prison warden, the cast of characters at Whitehall Elementary includes a cocky teacher who knows exactly who he is and what he wants from life. Which isn’t this; but family obligations keep him stuck in his second-choice career. The last thing Kendall needs is a bored man to screw things up for her—again—but he’s a page-turner she just can’t put down. If only she could sort out her feelings and priorities, Kendall might be able to discover the person she’s meant to be. All she needs is a little quiet, please!
358 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 2, 2023
3 stars - A pretty standard rom-com between an elementary school librarian with baggage & a dearly loved kindergarten teacher. Fairly clean and also fairly forgettable (and as this is ten years old at least, so of course the Lance Armstrong references did not age well either)
July 31, 2020
Meh. Tepid romance. Didn’t really care for either of the main characters
June 19, 2013
When I look back over the years, I have fond memories of kindergarten. How about you? I even remember my first crush. It was in kindergarten with Michael Kearney. We got to hold each other's hands as we walked out of the classroom and then the building side by side into our mother's waiting arms at the end of the day.
That's one of the things I loved about reading Brea Brown's novel, QUIET, PLEASE! She even included a scene with the kindergarten class walking out but first, having to file up inside wearing their sweaters holding their lunchboxes, one by one, side by side and, quiet, please!
You may know Brea from her THE SECRET KEEPERS series or any one of several of her other novels. But we decided to pop into class and see what's happening with librarian, Kendall Dickinson, kindergarten teacher, Jamie Chase and a second tier of not soon to be forgotten characters. Who knew there could be so much drama and back-stabbing going on inside an elementary school? Well, let me tell you, there certainly is at Whitehall Elementary.
Starting with Principal Renalda Twomey who does manage to get some work done between mani/pedi appointments, Asst. Principal, Sam Kingsley who covers for Renalda's lazy butt, teacher union steward and otherwise known resident _itch, Jane Pleska, tone-deaf-singing-speaking music teacher, Ester Wambaugh, pregnant PE teacher, Julia Vasquez, kindergarten teacher, Bonita Carlson - all overseen by district superintendent, Dr. Underhill.
Kendall Dickinson gets a job in Charlotte, North Carolina saying she wants to be closer to her family, but we quickly learn she's escaping a bad situation in Kansas City. Of course, the first promise she makes to herself is to swear off men, especially good looking ones that are smart! Hum?!
Kendall comes home after a computer program she designs is stolen from right under her nose. The usually optimistic woman is soured on the world and screaming kids aren't going to lift her spirits, but it's the only job she can get. As she quickly finds out, she's not the only one with problems.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll try to be vague here, but this is a romantic comedy. I found parts of the romantic part amusing because the way they behaved in many ways mirrored the fact they were working in a kindergarten. For instance, she would pretend as if she didn't care, and he'd make believe he didn't know what was really going on, but he did. In many ways, they behaved like the children they were in charge of. Come to think of it, they acted like people in love, huh?!
My favorite character in QUIET, PLEASE! is kindergartner Brody Daniel Sawyer, who like to meow like a cat, climb trees when he's bored to get the teacher's attention and seems to be the only one who fully knows what the heck is going on around Whitehall! He also speaks Parseltongue!
Now just be quiet, please and read QUIET, PLEASE! Thank you Miss Brea Brown!
That's one of the things I loved about reading Brea Brown's novel, QUIET, PLEASE! She even included a scene with the kindergarten class walking out but first, having to file up inside wearing their sweaters holding their lunchboxes, one by one, side by side and, quiet, please!
You may know Brea from her THE SECRET KEEPERS series or any one of several of her other novels. But we decided to pop into class and see what's happening with librarian, Kendall Dickinson, kindergarten teacher, Jamie Chase and a second tier of not soon to be forgotten characters. Who knew there could be so much drama and back-stabbing going on inside an elementary school? Well, let me tell you, there certainly is at Whitehall Elementary.
Starting with Principal Renalda Twomey who does manage to get some work done between mani/pedi appointments, Asst. Principal, Sam Kingsley who covers for Renalda's lazy butt, teacher union steward and otherwise known resident _itch, Jane Pleska, tone-deaf-singing-speaking music teacher, Ester Wambaugh, pregnant PE teacher, Julia Vasquez, kindergarten teacher, Bonita Carlson - all overseen by district superintendent, Dr. Underhill.
Kendall Dickinson gets a job in Charlotte, North Carolina saying she wants to be closer to her family, but we quickly learn she's escaping a bad situation in Kansas City. Of course, the first promise she makes to herself is to swear off men, especially good looking ones that are smart! Hum?!
Kendall comes home after a computer program she designs is stolen from right under her nose. The usually optimistic woman is soured on the world and screaming kids aren't going to lift her spirits, but it's the only job she can get. As she quickly finds out, she's not the only one with problems.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll try to be vague here, but this is a romantic comedy. I found parts of the romantic part amusing because the way they behaved in many ways mirrored the fact they were working in a kindergarten. For instance, she would pretend as if she didn't care, and he'd make believe he didn't know what was really going on, but he did. In many ways, they behaved like the children they were in charge of. Come to think of it, they acted like people in love, huh?!
My favorite character in QUIET, PLEASE! is kindergartner Brody Daniel Sawyer, who like to meow like a cat, climb trees when he's bored to get the teacher's attention and seems to be the only one who fully knows what the heck is going on around Whitehall! He also speaks Parseltongue!
Now just be quiet, please and read QUIET, PLEASE! Thank you Miss Brea Brown!
June 11, 2020
cute little romance with really boring stereotypes as main characters. good for airport or beach reading.
Read
July 8, 2015I first read 'Quiet, Please' when it came out. I just reread it and was reminded how much I liked Kendall and Jamie together. Kendall is a girl reinventing her life after a bad experience with her first job. Her ex-boyfriend betrayed her and she doesn't want to be in the same position again. Even though she has a lot to give, she's insecure and holds back even when she'd rather do the opposite. Jamie is the guy that everybody loves (almost everybody). He's responsible at home and at work, despite teaching not being his favorite. Soon Kendall and Jamie see themselves pushed into a relationship by their co-workers and realize they actually like it (a lot!).
I liked how honest Jamie was (besides being a hunk!). Kendall's insecurities were exasperating at times but, given her past, I guess she had a bit of a reason. The individual character development is well done as you see them grow and change from who they are and what they want in the beginning to where they find themselves (and each other) in the end. It's natural and very well done. The secondary characters are the perfect complement to a well-rounded cast.
I love Brea Brown's writing style- it's light, entertaining and very engaging. You will love this one! The ending is so sweet!
I liked how honest Jamie was (besides being a hunk!). Kendall's insecurities were exasperating at times but, given her past, I guess she had a bit of a reason. The individual character development is well done as you see them grow and change from who they are and what they want in the beginning to where they find themselves (and each other) in the end. It's natural and very well done. The secondary characters are the perfect complement to a well-rounded cast.
I love Brea Brown's writing style- it's light, entertaining and very engaging. You will love this one! The ending is so sweet!
June 2, 2013
What an enjoyable read! I fell in the love with the characters immediately. Kendall was endearing in the beginning, with her little quirks and a humorous stalking episode in Wal-Mart. Jamie was extremely sexy, and I could identify with his frustrations of working in the teaching profession. The two made a good combo, though I have to say I felt Kendall was all over the place toward the middle of the story, behaving irrationally and immaturely. I wondered if it was because she was on the young side, but I was never quite sure how old she was supposed to be. 20s? 30s? Maybe it was mentioned and I missed it. Regardless of how I disliked her for a while, the writing was superb and laugh-out loud funny throughout. My favorite scene in the whole book was when Jamie came to visit Kendall while she had the chicken pox. Hilarious. Brown has a killer sense of humor, which is why I also enjoy her blog. As a rule, I’m not much of a blog follower, but I make sure to read her weekly posts because I know they will always make me laugh.
July 5, 2013
This is my favorite Brea Brown so far. I loved this book and characters! I was easily placed in the setting like I was one of the teachers and felt empathy for the lead character as she experienced her days. Love the lighthearted wit and laughs. This was a fun read and easy escape from everyday stress!
November 17, 2012
Brea's books ALWAYS entertain.
April 4, 2014
This book was LAUGH OUT LOUD hysterical and the characters were so easy to love!
June 30, 2020
I chose this book as it appealed to me as I am a teacher librarian in a primary school just like she was.
There were certainly parts of this story that I could identify with..eg. the popular male teacher, the chaos in the library, the way that teachers just dump their class on you and run..
Parts of the story were quite thin though and I thought that they could have been expanded on a bit. So many funny things happen in a school library and staff room. I think I would have liked to see more of these things rather than Kendall's dramas.
It was certainly a brainless read which is great as an escape from the horrors of COVID19.
There were certainly parts of this story that I could identify with..eg. the popular male teacher, the chaos in the library, the way that teachers just dump their class on you and run..
Parts of the story were quite thin though and I thought that they could have been expanded on a bit. So many funny things happen in a school library and staff room. I think I would have liked to see more of these things rather than Kendall's dramas.
It was certainly a brainless read which is great as an escape from the horrors of COVID19.
September 30, 2022
A great caste of characters and laugh out loud situations made this book a fun read. The characters developed as the story progressed and Kendall and Jamie’s dialogue rang true for a couple exploring a new relationship. After having been an educator for 36 years, I found the faculty portrayals and workplace politics to be right on the money. What started out as a lightweight novel, developed into a delightful and enjoyable read.
November 2, 2022
I like the school and library setting and the teacher and librarian MCs.
Kendall has a personal realisation at the end but I don't think her story arc ends well because her circumstances don't change. There are good conversations and banter, and the kindergartener, Brody, is great.
June 6, 2020
The heroine was immature, whiny and temperamental.
June 6, 2020
Cute enough cozy romance though the main character's angst really annoyed me at times.
July 8, 2020
It was a fun read. It was cute, though a bit contrived, actually in some ways, more than a bit. All in all though the school story line was fun. It was a fun summer read. It was cute.
October 5, 2022
The story was ok. I liked the ending, but I didn't find all the characters believable and it dragged a bit at times.
August 26, 2015
Character not very likeable: awful stereotype of an introvert librarian. Pacing of storyline slow and choppy but there are some truly humorous moments. Might not be the best but it does have redeeming qualities such as cute and funny supporting characters.
March 1, 2016
all around feel great book so awesome I loved this book. I loved the main character, Kendall, with all her real traits. [Brown's?] writing makes me feel like I am in the story, along for the emotional ride. And I just finished it, and I can't stop smiling. That's a win where I'm concerned.
September 2, 2020
Light read, very entertaining. Love it 😍
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews