This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall!

Macdonald Hall/Bruno & Boots #1

by Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman's classic, bestselling series celebrates its 35th anniversary!

Macdonald Hall's ivy-covered buildings have housed and educated many fine young Canadians. But Bruno Walton and Boots O'Neal are far from being fine young Canadians. The roommates and best friends are nothing but trouble! Together they've snuck out after lights-out, swapped flags, kidnapped mascots . . . and that's only the beginning.

Bruno and Boots are always in trouble. So the headmaster, a.k.a. "The Fish," decides it would be best to separate them. Bruno must now room with ghoulish Elmer Drimsdale, plus his plants, goldfish and ants. And Boots is stuck with nerdy, preppy, paranoid George Wexford-Smyth III.Of course, this means war. Because Bruno and Boots are determined to get their old room back, no matter what it takes.

Join two of Gordon Korman's most memorable characters in seven side-splitting, rip-roaring adventures! Macdonald Hall is the series that started it all, and thirty-five years later it remains a must-read for old fans and new, the young — and the young at heart.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Humor, Canada, Middle Grade, Boarding School

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and totally engaging Canadian-themed boys' boarding school story (and which was in fact originally penned by author Gordon Korman as a school writing project when he supposedly was only twelve years old), as young teenagers, my friends and I read This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall! (and post this, also a number of the sequels) over and over again, as they were quick reads and kept us smiling and laughing. But while for many of my classmates, Bruno and Boots, the two main protagonists, were of course their favourites, I for one, and being a bit of a nerd myself, developed a huge literary crush on science-obsessed classmate Elmer (and absolutely loved how at the end of This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall!, the supposed UFO Elmer claims to have seen, turns out to be a young diplomat's son stuck in a hot air balloon, in retrospect, a scenario almost as strange as the possibility of the supposed visitors from outer space, especially considering that the diplomat hails from an imaginary country, but oh boy, did I ever enjoy that entire final sequence as a teenager and did I ever love reading about Bruno, Boots, Elmer, the neighbouring all girls' academy, and yes, even MacDonald Hall's principal, Mr. Sturgeon, a.ka. The Fish, who actually and in fact is a pretty decent and caring individual, and his wife truly is a total dear).

Five stars, and no, Gordon Korman's MacDonald Hall series is not in any way great literature, but it was a fun read for me as a teen and has remained as much fun rereading (but with the absolute and in my opinion very necessary caveat to and for potentially interested readers to ABSOLUTELY try to find copies of the original novels, as the currently in-print editions of the MacDonald Hall series have unfortunately and majorly frustratingly been updated and now feature cell phones, email and other such technological garbage, namely electronic devices, computers etc. that were NOT yet even available when the series, or at least when the first five or so books of the series were originally published, and which at least to and for me make the in-print versions, make the recently published editions a rather annoying reading experience, as one is basically reading late 70s to early 80s stories that have been overpainted with a strange and uncanny veneer of the not yet present future).

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed re-reading this book from my childhood. I did, however, find it somewhat disconcerting that a few "updates" were stuck in almost at random (references to email etc that most certainly were not in the original copy I read in the early 80s). I was disappointed that the book was not left to stand as representative of that time period, especially since the efforts to update were pretty half-hearted.

[Ferret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Korman's first novel, written when he was about fifteen. It's clearly unpolished, but there's something so frenzied and exuberant about it that it makes up for it. A wonderfully funny novel.

[Trin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the public library, I was finally able to find out what people were talking about when they squeed about Bruno & Boots. Of course, soon after the fickle library gods betrayed me: only the first book is available, which is a TRAGEDY, because this series is clearly great, funny and delightful and truly squee-worthy. Note: I do not add "slashy," because while the book is, I feel uncomfortable slashing anyone who is, as Korman establishes, "not yet old enough to shave."

However, the cover artist clearly did not agree with me. What message am I supposed to take from a cover like this? I ask you.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bruno and Boots books by Gordon Korman were brilliant. I read them back when I was about 9 or 10 and enjoyed them so much I remember them fondly 18 years later.

I'm thinking I might re-read them even.

[Punk · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA. Boarding school hijinks. Best friends and roommates Bruno and Boots have been up to no good too many times and The Fish (headmaster of Macdonald Hall) is finally putting his foot down, separating Bruno and Boots and giving them new roommates. Bruno and Boots, by the way, are totally not down with that.

This is a fun little book with capers, harmless riots, and a happy ending. The boys are troublemakers, but not overly malicious, and if the writing's a little simplistic all we need to do is remind ourselves that Korman wrote this for his 7th grade English project.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the first published by Gordon Korman, he wrote it when in grade 7 and published it in Grade 9. Earlier this year, in the summer of 2022, he published his 100th book. Yes you read that correctly, his hundredth book. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 17 of his books. Hardly a drop in the buck, but with each one I read I am entertained and often challenged. My son often reads these books to me or with me. I picked up this to read on my own to see where it all began.

My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together a few years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote an note to each student in the book. Prior to that I had a read a few of his contributions to the 39 Clues series and had enjoyed them. My Son and I have mostly been reading his more recent titles. I have always been hesitatnt to pick this one up because it is part of a series. I was not sure I was that committed. Not I am hooked and know I will be reading the other 6 volumes in this series in short order. The series consists of:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall
Go Jump in the Pool
Beware the Fish!
The Wizzle War
(formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle )
The Zucchini Warriors
Light’s Camera, Disaster
(aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)
The Jokes on Us
(formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

Book 6 was renamed in 2003 the stories were originally published between 1978 and 1995, though some have been rewritten to be more up to date. Three of the original 7 have been renamed at some point over the years. It should also be noted that the series was originally called Bruno & Books and later rebranded MacDonald Hall. But back to the volume at hand. The current description of this volume is:

“In Gordon Korman's beloved first book, Bruno and Boots team up...and school is never the same!

Bruno and Boots are always in trouble. So the Headmaster, aka "The Fish" decides it would be best to separate them. Bruno must now room with ghoulish Elmer Dimsdale, plus his plants, goldfish, and ants. And Boots is stuck with nerdy, preppy, paranoid George Wexford-Smyth III.

Of course, this means war. Because Bruno and Boots are determined to get their old room back, no matter what it takes.

And the skunk is only the beginning....”
The chapters in this volume are:

“It’s Always Us!”
The Fish’s Decree
The Cannon at Midnight
Assignment: Obnoxious!
You Keep Ants?
Round Two
Desperate Measures
Raid!
Expelled?
Breakfast at Scrimmage’s
“Congratulations, Boys”
Help!
Scrimmage’s to the Rescue
No End to Miracles!
About the Author
Q&A with Gordon Korman

If I had not known this was Korman’s first novel I would have been very surprised when I found that out. Now yes the story has been updated some over the years but the whole story is just masterfully written. Korman truly a master of the Middle Grade and even Young Adult genres, his books are amazing for kids, tweens and teens. And even some of us older readers. C.S. Lewis in On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature stated: “It is very rarely that a middle-aged man finds an author who gives him, what he knew so often in his teens and twenties, the sense of having opened a new door.” I said in a previous review that Korman accomplishes that in this and all of his other books I have read. This was another amazing read! And really the beginning of it all. This one is not as deep or deal with such important issues as some of his more recent offerings, but it is a great fun read.

Bruno and Boots have a knack for creating trouble, and for not getting caught. But once they are separated as roommate’s they up their game in every way possible to try and get roomed together again.

The characters are wonderfully written. It is a very fun story guaranteed to entertain the young and the young at heart!

It is an excellent read from Korman’s masterful pen! And the story that started it all!

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there I was in the fourth grade lo these many, many years ago. And periodically, you'd get a flyer from the Scholastic Book Club and then (well, if you were me, at least), you'd go through it, identify the books you wanted, cadge money out of your parents (and probably have to reduce the number of books you were actually going to order), then hand in the order slip and your payment.

And at some point later (probably just a few weeks, but at the time it felt like it took forever), you'd walk into class in the morning and there'd be a stack of BRAND! NEW! BOOKS! sitting on your desk.

And one of the books I ordered in fourth grade was this story about two boys in a Canadian boarding school; and my most vivid memory is of reading the book in class, and laughing so loudly and hysterically that the teacher asked me to go sit in the hall so as not to disturb the other students.

And then at some point that book just kind of went away.

Fast forward many, many years and on a whim, I decided to start Googling to try to identify this book whose title and author I could no longer remember and: Success! (And come to find out, there had been a number of sequels that I had no idea ever existed.) So of course I had to go online and order myself a copy -- and very specifically a copy of the 1978 Scholastic edition that I remembered reading.

And now, having spent something less than an hour reading the book cover-to-cover, I'm happy to report that it remained a damn' delight.

Our heroes(?) are Bruno and Boots, generally good-natured troublemakers at Macdonald Hall, a prestigious boarding school (conveniently right across the road from Miss Scrimmage's Finishing School for Young Ladies). As the book opens, Bruno & Boots are in the process of staging a trifecta of pranks -- replacing the school's Canadian flag with the flag of Malbonia, replacing the recording of the National Anthem that plays before the hockey game with "The Strip", and kidnapping the opposing team's feline mascot. And while they don't actually get caught, Mr. Sturgeon (The Fish) has a pretty darned good idea of whodunnit, and since he can't quite bring himself to expel them, he decides to break them up and send them off to room with other boys (one a kind of weird would-be naturalist and the other an insufferable rich prick), which causes Bruno and Boots to embark on a series of increasingly ill thought out schemes to convince The Fish to reunite them and, well, suffice to say that hilarity ensues. And shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans, some of them involving those nice young ladies Miss Scrimmage is in the process of finishing.

At this point in my life I probably don't need to continue on to the sequels, but I'm very glad I dredged this up from the recesses of my memory.

[Infosifter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best friends Bruno and Boots are roommates at a boarding school for boys, but after pulling one too many pranks they get separated and each ends up with a new nightmare roommate. Now all their schemes are directed toward getting their old room back, but it won't be smooth sailing! This book was written when the author was 14, and though not as polished as his later work it has his trademark humor and heart and I think it's a fantastic effort for a kid just going into high school. This is an enjoyable book in its own right, but it may also inspire young people who love to write that it is possible to get their work out there even at a young age.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian children's author Gordon Korman has had a long career as the prolific writer of humorous, exciting, and easy-to-read novels geared toward grades 4 to 9. He started writing at age 12, when he wrote This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall! for a seventh grade English class. Over the course of nearly 20 years after the publication of this first MacDonald Hall book, Korman published a total of 7 titles about the boarding school exploits of best friends Bruno and Boots.This month, I read them all:

This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall! (1977)
Go Jump in the Pool! (1979)
Beware the Fish! (1980)
The War with Mr. Wizzle (1982)
The Zucchini Warriors (1988)
MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood (1991)
Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall (1995)

The series stars best friends and roommates Bruno Walton and Melvin "Boots" O'Neal, who are known pranksters on the MacDonald Hall campus. Though the two boys often butt heads with their headmaster, the long-suffering yet fair-minded Mr. Sturgeon, whom they call "The Fish," they also have a fond affection for their school. The boys and their classmates also have many associations with students at Miss Scrimmage's Finishing School for Young Ladies, which is located across the road from MacDonald Hall, and whose high-strung Headmistress frequently overreacts to late-night visits from MacDonald Hall students by wildly wielding a shotgun.

Each book of the series focuses on a different major scheme involving Bruno and Boots. Sometimes, they seek to make a particular improvement to their school, such as a pool or a recreation center. Other times, they go to war with a particular teacher who is making their lives difficult, or with an outside force that threatens to close the school. In the final two books, they even befriend a Hollywood celebrity and uncover a phantom prankster.

What I love about these books is their sense of humor. Last spring, I attended a talk by two children's illustrators who insisted that the key to humor in children's books is underwear and toilet jokes. I found this to be a disappointing underestimation of what kids are capable of finding funny, but I was also hard-pressed to think of many examples of funny books, especially funny books targeted at boys, that could make kids laugh without resorting to crude humor. Thankfully, I have been reminded that this series fits that bill exactly. Perhaps because Korman started writing these when he was himself an adolescent, he completely understands what middle school boys find funny, and he delivers it in every single book. Pranks, schemes, disasters, explosions, science experiments, sporting events - these are the backdrops for Korman's jokes, and most of the time, they are clever, respectful and well-executed. Even when the characters disobey their teachers, they often do so in the name of a noble cause that helps their school or their friends.

Also refreshing is the complete lack of serious dating in these books. There are some storylines involving long-distance and unrequited crushes, but none of the preoccupation with having exclusive girlfriends and boyfriends that seems prevalent in more contemporary books. The girls of Miss Scrimmage's (particularly Cathy and Diane) are not presented as potential romantic partners for Bruno, Boots, and their friends, but as partners in crime, good friends, and pranksters in their own right. All the female characters are actually very well-done, including Mrs. Sturgeon, the headmaster's wife, whose affection for Bruno and Boots often keeps her husband from acting rashly in his punishment of them.


Are the MacDonald Hall books great literature? Probably not. But neither are they to be completely dismissed as "fluff" or 'twaddle." For boys who like funny books, but whose parents would prefer not to promote toilet humor (or worse, crude jokes with a sexual basis), they are the perfect escapist read. Interestingly, these books have also recently been turned into a series of films, which are all available to stream on Netflix. I watched half of the first one, Go Jump in the Pool!, and noted some differences, mainly in the age of the characters (MacDonald Hall seems to be a high school in the movie world) and in the character of Miss Scrimmage (who is now a peace-loving hippie and not an unhinged woman with a shotgun), but overall, I didn't think it was terrible. I would definitely recommend reading the books first, but fans of the series will probably enjoy the film adaptations.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

First introduced to this author when my grade 5 teacher read this aloud to us. I have been reading his work ever since.
My children are now big enough that I started reading it to them. Sometimes it was hard to convince them that we should read together, but once we started I was usually asked if we could read another chapter.
Finally finished today and we rolled right into the next Bruno and Boots book. Looks like they are going to be fans too.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mistakenly thought this author wrote 39 Clues book #3, which I found disappointing, and was pleasantly surprised that this book was much better than I had originally hoped for. It's a Middlegrade novel so it's light, but I think my boy would enjoy the pranks and the humor.

[Tara Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was such a fan of Gordon Korman's early books, written when he was in his teens. They are hard to find now but I pick them up where I can and I've been sitting on a box set of the Bruno and Boots stories for a couple years. I pulled the first out today to see if my 10yo is ready for them and enjoyed a riotous, LOL filled 30 minutes. Like, actually laughing out loud, just like I remember doing when I read these as a kid.

These early books may not be as well-crafted as Korman's newer ones, but I love the enthusiasm, action, and humor that I haven't enjoyed as much as his current stuff. Maybe it's just the nostalgia.

I would recommend these to grades 3-8, depending on reading level and maturity. They take place in a Canadian boarding school for boys and there is a girls' school across the road. The only questionable moment at all was a (fake) panty raid. My almost 11yo won't even blink at that but I think my 9yo could wait another year. All the books in the series are short and funny with a reading level for 3rd grade and up.

[thefourthvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun story full of light-hearted hijinks, and I’m just sad my son would absolutely hate it. (He doesn’t like to read about people getting into trouble, alas.) I’ve been wanting to read this for years — I’ve read some great fan fiction set in the universe — and I’m so glad this one, at least, is finally in ebook form.

[Sue Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I read 'This Can't Be Happening At MacDonald Hall' as part of the 21-Day Read Aloud Challenge and I must say I am floored that Gordon Korman wrote this when he was my son's age for a Grade 7 English Assignment. We just loved Boots and Bruno and even 'The Fish". We are now looking to read the rest of this series in hopes of getting as many laugh-out louds as we did in this one.

[Reading Rediscovered · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious tale of two boys and their crazy antics in boarding school. Through their unusual bond and their quick thinking they are always getting into trouble that in the end things turn out just the way they want them to. A great addition to a school classroom library.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fast-paced and funny. Heartfelt, too. No wonder the author grew up to be so beloved and respected. (I think this must have been revised & expanded for publication, though... but still, bravo for young Master Korman for a stellar first work.)
(avl. on openlibrary.org)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruno and Boots meant so much to me when I was a kid. I thought it was hilarious at the time. I would love to read it again.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruno and Boots--what a riot!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite childhood books.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't hold up, either. Which was kinda depressing, considering the way I read and reread this and half fell over, holding my sides, every single time.

[Student · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Jacob Dunn 203
Bruno and Boots (This can't be happening at Macdonald hall!)

3.) Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?
I found that the novel Bruno and Boots was really funny. I found that it was funny because it is all about Bruno and Boots playing practical jokes on students at their boarding school. An example is when they took hundreds of ants this guy collected and let them loose in the hallways and everybody went crazy. “The racket was beginning to penetrate into the other rooms.”
1.) What did you think the book was about?
When I picked up this book I knew what it was going to be about two school kids around 13 years old that always get into trouble because they always pull pranks on people. I knew this because my sister read this book and told me all about it.
5.) What about the plot? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book?
I found that the plot was really good. It was good because it was how they are trying to convince the principle that they can share a room together because they really didn’t like whom they rooming with. They proved it to him by saving someone that needs help. “Quick boys save him, cried Mr. Sturgeon.”
9.) How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place?
If this book took place in a different place it probably wouldn’t have been as good. If it wouldn’t had been in a boarding school they wouldn’t have been able to play pranks on over night on their schoolmates. But since it is, they can do a whole bunch more than they could in a regular school.
8.) If one of the characters made a choice that had moral implications , would you have made the same decision Why? Why not?
In this book they decide to cheat on an important test. If I were in their shoes I probably would have not done that. I wouldn’t have done that because when they cheated they weren’t aloud to share a room together so they wouldn’t do bad stuff. And it sucked for them because they were best friends.
6.) Were the character’s realistic? Would you want to meet any of the characters. Did you like them? Hate them?
I would have loved to meet the characters in this book. I would have wanted to meet them because they both remind me of how I am sometimes. Like one time I was at camp and we played pranks on people almost every night. I found that they were really realistic because they act like normal teenage boys who like to goof around most of the time.
18.) On a scale from one to five what would you give this book- what would have made this book better?

On a scale from one to five I would probably give this book a five. I would give it a five because it was great for my age group, which people my age usually like funny books. To make this book better I would have made it much longer. I would have made it longer because I could of put more funny parts in it.

16.) What was your least favorite part/ scene of the book?

My least favorite part of this book was when Bruno and Boots cheated on the test. I didn’t like that part because Bruno and Boots get separated and aren’t aloud to hangout with each other. But at night they sneak out and hangout.

13.) Would you have recommend this book to other readers?

I would have recommended this book to most readers and my friends. But mostly people that like comedy. I would recommend this book to people because it is hilarious. It is funny because they are always playing jokes on people.

15.) What was your favorite part/ scene of this book?

I had many favorite parts in this book, But my favorite part was when they let these ants that this guy collected and let them loose into the hallways. When they did that every body started to freak out. “ The racket was beginning to penetrate into the other rooms”.

4.) How did the book compare to other books by the author( or other books in the same genre)?

This book related to two other books that I have read in my life. The two books were captain underpants and diary of a wimpy kid. This book related to them because all three of these books are comedy books.






14.) If you casting these characters in a movie- what actors would play them?

If I were casting a movie for this book I would choose the Sprouse twins from the show “the suite life on deck” to play Bruno and boots. I would choose them play these characters because they are all ready actors in a comedy show. That is why I would choose them.

10.) What are some of the books themes? How important were they?

There weren’t that many themes in this book because it was a comedy book. One theme was not to cheat on a test. That was a theme in the book because they cheat ion a test and then they got in big trouble. That was an important theme because cheating will never lead you to good unless you’re lucky.

12.) Did the book end the way you expected?

The book Bruno and Boots ended the way I thought it would. It ended by them getting to be roommates again because they saved somebody. “Quick boys save him, cried Mr. Sturgeon.”

19.) Were there any personality traits in the character that you could identify with?

A personality trait that I can identify with one of the characters is silliness. I can identify with that because both the two characters and me are all silly sometimes. We are both silly in the same way by the things we do, like playing pranks on people.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's silly, over the top, and absolute perfection. It's funny how when I was a kid I was all about the antics of Bruno and Boots and co. but now I commend Gordon Korman on The Fish. These books never disappoint!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Design: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was Gordon Korman’s debut novel. It was a funny, light hearted, and a quick story.

I couldn’t find this at any library so here is a link to the audiobook I listened to:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f_lGvRi...

[Isis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun boarding-school hijinks book filled with silly pranks and entertaining mishaps. Lighthearted, simplistic, fun, an easy read. (And written by a thirteen-year-old, wow!)

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a child and recently reread it - I loved the misadventures of Bruno and Boots and rereading it was definitely a throwback.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story written for a younger audience. It made me laugh a few times and Gordon Korman is an enjoyable storyteller.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

eponymous-ey sentence:
p5: It is Macdonald Hall, where generations of boys have been educated and prepared for manhood.

Panty raid? Really?

Writing this at fourteen is crazy.

[Sarah N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, but quite fun and also impressive for a very young author (12 or so, at the time). I could definitely see the beginnings of Korman’s narrative voice and style.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to an 8-year old
He *loved* it and didn’t want me to stop reading. Entertaining characters and kid-friendly engaging storyline — we’re clearly going to have to read the next book in the series.