School!: Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School

by Kate McMullan, George Booth (Illustrator)

Welcome to the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School, where you will experience a week in the life of an exceptional group of characters. There's the principal, Miss Ingashoe, and her secretary, Ms. Cecelia Seeyalater; teachers Mr. Hugh da Mann and Mrs. Doremi Fasollatido; and students Abby Birthday, Sid Down, Viola Fuss, Dewey Haveto, and many more! This heavily illustrated, full-color, fabulously designed young chapter book is a must-have, back-to-school title that chronicles the very simple story of Ron Faster―as he learns some important lessons about life―during his adventures on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in a most unusual school.
School! is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Humor, School, Childrens, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Juvenile

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Kate McMullan is an American children's book author.
She is the author of the Dragon Slayers' Academy series. She is married to author and illustrator James McMullan.

She also has books published under the name: Katy Hall.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ages 7-10. A pun-filled story about Ron Faster and his classmates at school. It's hard to tell what this story is actually about, except to serve as a vehicle for annoyingly repetitive puns. The characters all have "punny" names, like Ron Faster, Sid Down, Adam Up, Viola Fuss, etc. Illustrations throughout the text remind me of the margin comics in Mad magazine. The idea of a story built on puns is amusing at first, but each day repeats the same situations (for instance, Ivan Stuckinaditch, the bus driver, each morning gets--you guessed it--stuck in a ditch, and the tow truck driver, Justin Case, shows up--just in case) and the humor gets old. Kids may not mind it, but I found myself reading this in small doses just to get through it. Pages have sparse text and many small, silly illustrations, so might be attractive to reluctant readers.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

blech. Couldn't get past the first couple of pages. I love her picture books and was enticed by this books combination of words and illustrations, but just couldn't read it.

[Ava Raczkowski]

for my reading challenge 🤠

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great drawings.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars (mostly because of my student's reactions)

This book follows a week in the life of Ron Faster, student at Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School and the adventures that ensue when you have classmates and teachers with names like Viola Fuss, Mr. Stuckinaditch, Izzy Normal, and Miss Ingashoe.

Here's some background: I do read alouds to my 2nd and 3rd graders and I try to pick books that are funny. That is the reason I picked this book up at first. I mean, the kids loved Sideway Stories from Wayside School, so I thought this would be a shoo-in. However, I read the first chapter and I had a hard time picturing whether kids would enjoy reading this book (aloud or to themselves). Too many pictures, too many puns, not a great deal of plotline - It seemed like another one to discard.

Against my inclination about the book, I decided to test it out on some real-live kids. I read it to 3 of my 1st grade classes and they loved it! They thought all the silly names were funny and didn't really care if there was a plot. I then read it to some 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders and they loved it too.

Therefore, I'll be keeping this one as one of my read alouds. I just wish it was longer or had some sequels so I could read this aloud for more than 5 weeks (I do 1 chapter per week)

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm.... I'm not really sure what to think about this book.

At first, the puns started out cute...but then it all quickly got overdone and obnoxious. And then... if one was to ask me what this book was actually about, I wouldn't have an answer. Each chapter, while starting and ending the exact same way, had a jumble of randomness and scatter-brained thought that made me wonder what the point was.

I wanted to like this book because the names were cute and made me chuckle and the book started out alright... but I just couldn't get passed the fact this story was far too repetitive, had no plot and really, no point. Sorry Kate, but you missed the mark on this one.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and humorous story about Ron Faster and his school friends. Each chapter is one day in the school week. Ron gets on the bus, his bus driver gets stuck in a ditch, and his teacher is absent again. Plenty of play on words in this book from the bus driver, Mr. Stuckinaditch, to his principal Miss Ingashoe, who is missing a shoe. There are a few simple plot to the story. Both Ron's parents are not employed (although they have money from previous jobs). At the end of each chapter, they discuss where they are looking for jobs. A great choice for 2nd-4th grades.

[Arthur Pengerbil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Level: Grade 2-4

Attention punsters! If puns make you snicker, read the adventures of Ron Faster, Viola Fuss, Izzy Normal, Iona Tricycle and many other punny characters in a school story that is long on groans!


If you enjoyed this inane school story try;

Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sacher and

Miss Daisy is Crazy by Dan Gutmen


For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A whimsical story about the kids and staff of Harvey N. Trouble School, where principal Miss Ingashoe is missing something, the bus driver Ivan Stuckinaditch manages to plunge the school bus into a ditch every morning, and all the kids go with the flow of whatever substitute teacher is teaching that day. The punny humor, slapstick and plenty of cartoonish line drawings will find its audience, but it didn't really appeal to me personally.

[Joenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each morning, student Ron Faster hurries to Harvey N. Trouble School, where he encounters such staff members as science teacher Ms. Roxanne Pebbles, music instructor Mrs. Doremi Fasollatido, and the resigning janitor Mr. Iquit.

This book drove me crazy, it was like a book version of the movie "Groundhog Day."

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that kids really like and adults (even ones that love kids books) would feel they are hearing the same place on a scratched record over and over again. Once I explained one of the "puns" to Lily, she was able to get the rest of them and could not put the book down. She loved it.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the style of Wayside School and Aesop Elementary, this short chapter book (5 chapters so stamina is a less of an issue) will be accessible and acceptable to striving readers. It has graphic support and there are repetitive elements from chapter to chapter. It's very funny with clever word play including the names of students and staff.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This book was so filled with puns, that it was almost annoying. I read it (literally and figuratively) one day at a time for quite a while. Then I got into a rhythm and was able to finish the rest in one sitting. I really enjoyed it from that point on. I think this book has tons of kid-appeal and that they won't have any trouble at all with the puns.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punny! Cute and full of wordplay, this book is a quick, easy read. Somewhat "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for the younger set, it focuses on a week at the school of Ron Faster, and includes a hybrid of doodles and writing on each page.

[Mas5thgrade2012 · Rating 5 out of 5]

good and super funny!
evilteddybear

this is a really good book its fuuny and its shown like a real person!
-basketballgirl-

It was really good and i like how their names match of what they do.
~monkeyfreak#1

[Kevin Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I it liked very much.I was very funny.

[Michael Grundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read out loud book.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the excessive use of puns wore on me, with the drawings on every page and humor, I think kids will like it. Probably a good read-alike to Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

[Starr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it sounded funny, but the jokes and puns got old fast.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite punny.

[Mas5thgrade2012 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like it says on the cover this is a very punny book!!!-SGW.

This book is very funny
-cutienumber1

[Anne Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book full of puns. Read aloud to class. Funny to those students who understood the puns. This book would be better if read to self.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny. Lots of word play. Lots of illustrations! Kids who like graphic novels will love this book!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this punny book over and over!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it with my daughter. Very repetitive, but she seemed to like it. It would be a good book for a reluctant reader.

[Heidi Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun silly read.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll say a 2.5 but rounded up...

[Tamara the Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first 8 pages and then tossed it aside. So silly and pointless. Read other 1 star reviews here to see why it's not worth reading.

[Hmalowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun read aloud for lower elementary students. So many puns and word play galore!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One joke book