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Danny Chalmers is THE PRINCIPAL
So Principal Leymore gave me the keys to the
school one day because he was sick. I was just suppose
to open the doors for everyone—that’s it! But
crazy Ms. Winless got all loopy and forced me to be
principal for the day.
At first I didn't want to, but then I felt the power!
I got to tell everyone what to do! Even my older
brother Ronny (who is a big jerk by the way) had to
listen to me! But like pretty much every grown up
likes to say: It was all fun and games until…
LINK TO THE VIDEO PREVIEW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqWzj3...
school one day because he was sick. I was just suppose
to open the doors for everyone—that’s it! But
crazy Ms. Winless got all loopy and forced me to be
principal for the day.
At first I didn't want to, but then I felt the power!
I got to tell everyone what to do! Even my older
brother Ronny (who is a big jerk by the way) had to
listen to me! But like pretty much every grown up
likes to say: It was all fun and games until…
LINK TO THE VIDEO PREVIEW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqWzj3...
102 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2009
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 8, 2009
A bit of full disclosure before I begin: I won this book through the goodreads giveaway program and would otherwise probably not have given it a second glance.
As has been stated in previous reviews, Danny Chalmers is a third grader who becomes principal of his elementary school for a day. The circumstances are, shall we say... odd. In that day he causes mischief, as boys are apt to do, and by the end of it... well, you'll just have to read it for yourself. I'm not much for spoilers.
Being well outside the target demographic (the author has stated that she wrote the book mainly for her own young son), I found some of the humor a little on the off-putting side. Fortunately, most of the truly gross-out stuff is in the first two or three chapters. The story is simple but engaging. It's truly a wish-fulfillment story for any child.
Where I had the most complaint is in the spelling. I could let go of the horrendous grammar, as this is told from Danny's point of view. While "me and my friend did such-and-such" normally sets my hair on end, it's common enough to hear from the mouth of a child. However the one rule I could NOT overlook is that of using the incorrect homonym. The most common one used in the book involved using the word for "a volume level above silent" when the context clearly indicated "permitted". (For the curious, that would be "aloud" instead of "allowed.")
I might have been able to let one occurrence pass, but it was done consistently in at least three instances. True, it wouldn't be noticeable to a listener if you read it aloud, but for those of us who merely read, it's the literary equivalent of a speed bump. I had to slow down for a moment to make sure I was actually seeing the word I thought I was seeing.
("By" is also used for "bye" in a couple of places.)
In spite of my moment of grammatical indignation, Danny's adventure was fun to read. I'm sure that when my nephew is older I will read it to him. (Something tells me my nieces would be less receptive to some of the book's early situations.)
I look forward to reading more of Danny Chalmers and his wacky exploits.
As has been stated in previous reviews, Danny Chalmers is a third grader who becomes principal of his elementary school for a day. The circumstances are, shall we say... odd. In that day he causes mischief, as boys are apt to do, and by the end of it... well, you'll just have to read it for yourself. I'm not much for spoilers.
Being well outside the target demographic (the author has stated that she wrote the book mainly for her own young son), I found some of the humor a little on the off-putting side. Fortunately, most of the truly gross-out stuff is in the first two or three chapters. The story is simple but engaging. It's truly a wish-fulfillment story for any child.
Where I had the most complaint is in the spelling. I could let go of the horrendous grammar, as this is told from Danny's point of view. While "me and my friend did such-and-such" normally sets my hair on end, it's common enough to hear from the mouth of a child. However the one rule I could NOT overlook is that of using the incorrect homonym. The most common one used in the book involved using the word for "a volume level above silent" when the context clearly indicated "permitted". (For the curious, that would be "aloud" instead of "allowed.")
I might have been able to let one occurrence pass, but it was done consistently in at least three instances. True, it wouldn't be noticeable to a listener if you read it aloud, but for those of us who merely read, it's the literary equivalent of a speed bump. I had to slow down for a moment to make sure I was actually seeing the word I thought I was seeing.
("By" is also used for "bye" in a couple of places.)
In spite of my moment of grammatical indignation, Danny's adventure was fun to read. I'm sure that when my nephew is older I will read it to him. (Something tells me my nieces would be less receptive to some of the book's early situations.)
I look forward to reading more of Danny Chalmers and his wacky exploits.
August 2, 2009
I just finished reading Danny Chalmers and I really enjoyed it. I thought the characters were great and the storyline was a classic. I loved the typical rivalry between Danny and his brother Ronnie. The bothersome Lisie was quite funny too. The clueless parents were entertaining and Principal Leymore was a good example of a responsible grown-up. I thought Principal Leymore's heart attack was handled gracefully and with care. There was nothing scary involved which is a huge plus for me! The writing from Danny's perspective and age was flawless.
I did find a few small things in the plot that I felt were missing something. Danny arriving into school and taking advantage of his position was humorous the entire time but at the end of the book, I felt like Danny should have faced some kind of guilt about being mean to the kids. After all, he was naughty all day. I wanted him (not a grownup) to give himself a week of detention or do something nice for Ronnie or apologize to the teachers, something. I felt like he was passing the message that being naughty for the day was ok. I hope in the long run he faces some retribution. I do think the kids will love it!
I did find a few small things in the plot that I felt were missing something. Danny arriving into school and taking advantage of his position was humorous the entire time but at the end of the book, I felt like Danny should have faced some kind of guilt about being mean to the kids. After all, he was naughty all day. I wanted him (not a grownup) to give himself a week of detention or do something nice for Ronnie or apologize to the teachers, something. I felt like he was passing the message that being naughty for the day was ok. I hope in the long run he faces some retribution. I do think the kids will love it!
September 2, 2009
This is a fun concept. Many kids dream of running their school and being in charge and Danny Chalmers is a fun character to follow. I believe this book to be best suited for boys. I think the toilet humor would be more appealing to boys 8-12.
There are some very funny moments, but some may not appreciate the amount of time given to the subjects of poop and eating poop. If this is something that attracts you then you might love the book. If you do not find those subjects appealing than you might not enjoy it as much.
There are some very funny moments, but some may not appreciate the amount of time given to the subjects of poop and eating poop. If this is something that attracts you then you might love the book. If you do not find those subjects appealing than you might not enjoy it as much.
February 27, 2010
I thought the book was an easy read. I think my 8 year old cousin will really like it. My girls are still too young to get the humor of it, so I would not read it out loud to them. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. I also gagged at some parts, I don't do very well with reading or thinking about booggers, YACK!!! Overall, I think boys 8 to 10 years old will enjoy this book, but parents, you need to be ok, with a bit of "potty" humor.
May 10, 2010
This book was very kid-like. I think a third grader would very much enjoy the mayhem and trouble this kid gets into--even if, being fictional, there's a reach to the initial storyline. It was an easy quick read with a third grader's voice. I recommended it to my boys.
September 3, 2009
This story was halareous! It really made me laugh. Mrs. Winless was my faverit!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews