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Teachers Pet

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It's not easy being part of Ginger's family when you¹re allergic to cats ­- three of them love cats and five of them are cats. Ginger tries to be good, but it's not easy when your new best friend is a fierce looking stray dog. It gets even harder when the school principal starts trying to kill your best friend. But Ginger manages to save the dog and expose Mr Napier for the phoney he is.

Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

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About the author

Morris Gleitzman

123 books988 followers
Morris began his writing career as a screenwriter, and wrote his first children's novel in 1985. His brilliantly comic style has endeared him to children and adults alike, and he is now one of Australia's most successful authors, both internationally and at home. He was born in England in 1953 and emigrated to Australia in 1969 so he could escape from school and become a Very Famous Writer.

Before realising that dream, he had a colourful career as paperboy, bottle-shop shelf-stacker, department store Santa Claus, frozen chicken defroster, fashion-design assistant and sugar-mill employee. In between he managed to gain a degree in Professional Writing at the Canberra College of Advanced Education. Later he became sole writer for three award-winning and top-rating seasons with the TV comedy series The Norman Gunston Show.

Morris wrote a number of feature film and telemovie screenplays, including The Other Facts of Life and Second Childhood, both produced by The Australian Children's Television Foundation. The Other Facts of Life won an AWGIE Award for the Best Original Children's Film Script.

He also wrote live stage material for people such as Rolf Harris, Pamela Stephenson and the Governor General of Australia. Morris is well known to many people through his semi-autobiographical columns in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald magazine, Good Weekend, which he wrote for nine years.

But the majority of Morris' accolades are for his hugely popular children's books. One of his most successful books for young people is Two Weeks with the Queen, an international bestseller which was also adapted into a play by Mary Morris. The play had many successful seasons in Australia and was then produced at the National Theatre in London in 1995 directed by Alan Ayckbourn, and also in South Africa, Canada, Japan and the USA.

All his other books have been shortlisted for or have won numerous children's book prizes. These include The Other Facts of Life, Second Childhood, Misery Guts, Worry Warts, Puppy Fat, Blabber Mouth, Sticky Beak, Belly Flop, Water Wings, Bumface, Gift Of The Gab, Toad Rage, Wicked! and Deadly!, two six-part novels written in collaboration with Paul Jennings, Adults Only, Toad Heaven, Boy Overboard, Teacher's Pet, Toad Away, Girl Underground, Worm Story, Once, Aristotle's Nostril, Doubting Thomas, Give Peas A Chance, Then, Toad Surprise, Grace, Now, Too Small To Fail, and his latest book, Pizza Cake. Morris' children's books have been published in the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia and Czechoslovakia, Russia and China.

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5 stars
47 (16%)
4 stars
92 (32%)
3 stars
108 (38%)
2 stars
26 (9%)
1 star
6 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Samantha.
4 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2012
I really liked enjoyed this book. I recomend this book to 8-10 year olds. 3/5 so far.

Ginger is allergic to cats, and when she is on her way to school she starts sneezing, and instantly knows that there is a cat somewhere near her. But then when her bag starts meowing and thrashing around she knows what it is, but hopes that it isn't. Gingers sister put one there three families three cats in here school bag for pets day.
Profile Image for Anna.
1,145 reviews13 followers
March 17, 2017
So cute! I wish Ginger had kept a dog though! I love Mr. Wong.
3 reviews
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January 29, 2015
This book,Teacher’s pet,by Morris Gleitzman, is about Ginger,who is allergic to cats,and is being picked on by the Vice Principal of her school,Mr. Napier because she had accidentally sneezed on him and made a cat scratch his head. In a recent wild dogs incident, she fought against the Vice Principal because he is going to hand the dogs to the pound, if no one is adopting them, they’ll be killed. Mr.Napier became the acting principal after the principal is wounded by one of the dogs and is over-using his power to cancel the pet’s day and to expel his enemy,Ginger. Read the book to find out what happens to Ginger and Mr. Napier.

The connections between this book and me is that there are teachers that pick on students and they are usually rude and bad tempered. They dish out a lot of punishments to the students they hate.I have seen teachers like that and it makes me feel angry, but also helpless. I want to stop the teacher but there is nothing I can do.Ginger must have felt the same way, too. In this book,there are examples of Mr.Napier picking on Ginger,for example,”Ginger,Ginger,Ginger”said Mr.Napier.”how did a nice family like yours end up with a person like you in it?”.This sentence is spoken to Ginger by Napier.

I think this book is suitable to students in elementary school because the story is happening in primary school.Only teachers in elementary school pick on students because middle school students will be able to fight back but primary students can’t.In this book,there are lots of evidence proving how Mr. Napier is picking on Ginger.For example,”Ginger,Ginger,Ginger”said Mr. Napier.”Sometimes I despair about you.How did a nice family like yours end up with a person like you in it?”and”What I don’t understand”he said”is why having your parents here affect your sister in the same way.She doesn’t lie and disobey and break school rules.These are all the evidence of Napier picking on Ginger.The evidence above explained Napier picking on Ginger by quoting how mean Napier is to Ginger.

Profile Image for Mei Ying HO.
24 reviews
December 22, 2013
Day One:
I've just started reading this book. So, I think it will be really funny when I keep reading this book. The part I'm reading right now is when a young girl called "Ginger" was allergic to cats. That cat is called "Cornflakes", Cornflakes was adopted my Ginger's friend "Mitzi". When Ginger is on her way to school, she saw a stray abandoned, homeless black dog kept following her to school. Like for example: when she stop walking, the dog stop walking, and when she continued walking, it continued walking too! So I think it's kind of weird. I predict that those two will soon become best friends. The reading strategy in this chapter have mental images, because I could picture it in my mind while reading this interesting book.

Day Two:
I'm now reading at page 22-23. The part I'm reading right now is when Mitzi lost her orange cat "Cornflakes". Ginger went to ask Mr.Napier but he won't let her use the public address system to search for Cornflakes. So Mr.Napier sent her to the sickroom, Ginger's mom and dad, Mrs.Smith and Mr.Smith work there. But then a little boy went in and ask Mrs.Smith that he has nosebleed. Ginger told the boy, and said that she was there first. Her mother told her to be patient. Her mother thinks he needs her to help him.
Profile Image for Sven McNiven.
153 reviews12 followers
September 22, 2015
I had to read Teachers Pet for a school task. In terms of a kid's book, it's pretty good. It has some light humour in it and the writing is decidedly Australian and full of colloquialisms. That's a good thing. Morris Gleitzman is a prolific author and you can see why, when he creates fun, easy-to-read novels like Teachers Pet.
1 review5 followers
January 12, 2015
The main character Ginger is a girl that needs to go to school, she is allergic to cats, but she is not allergic to dogs and some how she is trying to hide the homeless dogs from Mr Napier (Her teacher which did not like Ginger). Ginger and her 2 good friends worked together and found homes for the dogs. During Ginger is finding homes for the dogs it seems that there is a lot of trouble and problems for her. For example, the dog bite the principal which is not true. This is a funny book full of imagery, and i think this book could be like a diary about the success of saving dogs.
Profile Image for Emma.
15 reviews
August 3, 2013
This book is amazing. I think this book could be read from the age 7-11.

Ginger cares about the 10 dogs that live behind a half demolished wall in a old building . She tries her best to hide the dogs from Mr Napier and the Rangers who want to take them away to be put to sleep. Ginger , with the help of her friends Ned & Isabel find homes for the dogs by posting leaflets through out the town. In the end,the dogs are found good homes & Mr Napier ends up with one of the dogs.
9 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2015
In this book there is a girl called Ginger who is allergic to cats. She was connected everthing to the cats mainly. It is about a girl who saves a dog from dying as the blame has been that the dog bit the principal. It wasn't any stray animal who bit the principal, it was Lockan's pet dog. Ginger and her friends were all trying to prove that the stray dog didn't bite the principal. This book is really with adding whole loads of imagery.
Profile Image for Karen ⊰✿.
1,677 reviews
November 26, 2015
My inner 8 year old loves Morris Gleitzman books and when my kids are a bit older I look forward to sharing these stories with them.
He writes clearly and has lovely characters and morals through his stories which appeal to younger kids, for example, by having an evil school principal ; dogs on the loose in school ; and other fun scenes.
The audio narrations are also done by the author which I have always enjoyed.
Profile Image for Sema.
7 reviews
February 25, 2015
Ginger grabbles with a nasty assistant principal, sharing her teacher parents with most of the other children at her school, a savage street dog that has taken a liking to her and a snot bomb of a cat allergy. Witty, fun and fast paced.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
2,132 reviews280 followers
March 10, 2010
I read this to my class, they enjoyed it and looked forward to each new chapter, it kept their interest.
Profile Image for Alysha Forman.
13 reviews
September 20, 2010
Even if your family mainly mabe up or cats who are named after cerials and singing sensations, you can STILL have a dog.
Profile Image for Audrey Foo.
59 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2010
Not a good book. Best suited for seven years old, but plot is a bit thick...
Profile Image for Alisha Brook.
2,080 reviews40 followers
July 8, 2015
Morris Gleitzman was one of my absolute favourite childhood authors - I even got his autograph! His books are light and easy to read and have a comedic value only Andy Griffiths could match.
5 reviews
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January 29, 2016
Ginger is a lovely girl and Mr Napier is sooo cruel!!!
5 reviews
March 3, 2018
I loved this book it is funny and written from a kids point of view.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews