My Weirdtastic School #1: Miss Banks Pulls Lots of Pranks!

My Weirdtastic School #1

by Dan Gutman, Jim Paillot (Illustrator)

With more than 32 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! In this opening installment of the newest My Weird School arc, mischief, mayhem, and pranks galore await!

A.J. and his friends are starting fourth grade. A new school year means a new teacher, and Miss Banks may be their weirdest one yet.

She won't stop playing practical jokes on the class, and A.J. has reached his breaking point. Will he and the gang learn to not fall for their teacher's tricks? Or will Miss Banks prevail as the ultimate prankster?

Perfect for reluctant readers and all kids hungry for funny school stories, Dan Gutman's hugely popular My Weird School chapter book series has something for everyone. Don't miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and his friends!

Genres: Childrens, Audiobook, Humor, Fiction

112 pages, Hardcover

Published February 14, 2023

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this with my youngest babies. =)
Not my fave, but my children liked it alot.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining book for a 5yo. My child understood most of the humor and thought the simple pranks were hilarious. I personally was very mad at the teacher and that she was a bully. But I am just someone who doesn’t like pranks in general. There wasn’t really a moral lesson either. It was just silly and entertaining. My son absolutely loved it and I had to explain to him that teachers are not like that in real life haha. I thought the writing was witty but also at kid level. We listened to it and the narrator did a great job.

SPOILERS and book notes:
The pranks this teacher pulls! She had the class go out birding. To find a rare bird called “Sloof Lirpa”. Had them Flathers wings do a mating call. When finally someone figured out it was April fools backwards. “Time is fun when you are having flies” is her motto. I’m sick of miss banks. She is the worst. But i do love the main character. AJ’s voice is cute and funny and witty. The whole book the AJ makes fun of people that say “and you wouldnt believe who walked through the door.” Bc you can’t… you walk through the DOORWAY. Anyways.

[Paige V · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the first day of Fourth Grade for A.J. and his friends. A.J. is expecting little from the new teacher Mrs. Banks, but what the teacher does is unexpected. Mrs. Banks pranks them multiple times. Can A.J. and his classmates stop falling for her tricks?

I have read these hilarious books more times than I can count. I love the jokes; they always make me laugh. Their little community of class always makes those series heartwarming.

A.J. is the most humorous character in the whole series. His narration of the stories always makes me crack up. Andrea is the brainiac of the series. A.J. always makes fun of her intelligence, which is a little mean. Mrs. Banks is the only teacher I read about that pulls pranks. Honestly, I wouldn't want her to be my teacher because of the constant tricks.

This series might be perfect for young readers who think they don't like reading. I recommend this funny book because it's a great way to get kids reading, and laughing is good for your health!

Thank you to the publisher for sharing this book with me.

[Justin Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly

This book was silly. Which I suppose is good for a break in a child's day but it was just silly. I was kind of waiting for some moral or lesson or even comuppance. I dunno. I read books sometimes to recommend to my 9 year old... Not sure this one will make the cut.
Feel free to give me some arguments for it. Sometimes book clubbing or discussion helps me better rate books :)

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of sexist stereotypes about students and learning. The main character continually says terrible things about his female classmate who loves learning and school. All of the girls follow directions and love learning; all of the boys are bad at school and don’t care about it.

[Michelle Abrameit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exceedingly silly - in a good way. I have trouble finding great books that my kids enjoy together. I'm looking for books that are complex and interesting enough for my 1st grader that dont confuse my 5 year old. This fit the bill nicely and i even found myself laughing out loud at times.

[B-cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it said one child. It's so funny said another. Enjoyed reading, especially when in character voices!

[Isabel Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is fun to see the gang in 4th grade with Miss Banks.

[Jessica M · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the words of my 8 y/o daughter: “Funny, weird, and full of school prank ideas. What’s not to love? Five stars.”

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Young readers might enjoy a teacher who pulls pranks on her class but I found this story annoying and the teacher mean.

[Sarah LeGear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this is a fun one. The girls have all loved these around 1st-2nd grade and this is a cute one.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It lived up to its name. There were lots of pranks.

[Vellanorah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter’s favorite part was when the kids give her a bit of her own medicine and prank her back. She also thought it was funny when they got on the desk and shook their bums.

[LaBrie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practicing reading with my seven year old and she loves it!

[Bree Sotirovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and entertaining! My 9 year old and I took turns reading this to each other and was a nice time spent together.

[Bern · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many giggles at bedtime :)

[Stephanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loved this series. It is silly. Good for kids who see humor in words and phrases. A collection of pranks to keep the young ones giggling.

[Carina Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny kids book. Recommend to get kids interested in reading.

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤣 My 7 year old could not sit still while reading, he giggled and giggled and randomly yelled, “WHAT!?” and then rolled on the floor laughing… 😂

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a fan of this type of humor, but my elementary kids like it.

[Kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 hour

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read and the kids loved it!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first day of 4th grade for A.J. and the gang, and are they in for a big surprise. Their new homeroom teacher, Miss Banks, is full of pranks, but A. J. has a brilliant plan to give her a dose of her on medicine before the day is over.