Miss Laney Is Zany!

September 1, 2010

Gr 3-5-In this installment in the series, young A.J. and his classmates learn that their school, Ella Mentry, is having financial problems. His teachers are losing their jobs, supplies are getting scarce, and the new speech teacher is given an office in the girls' bathroom. A.J. and his friends attend class with Miss Laney, a flamboyant instructor who loves game shows and makes her students repeat all sorts of difficult tongue twisters. As the budget cuts continue to affect the school, the students try to think up ways they can earn a million dollars. Miss Laney suggests that they put on a play but as soon as she casts the parts, she is laid off. All looks hopeless until she finds another way to raise money that involves one of her favorite game shows. This beginning chapter book is told in witty prose, through A.J.'s point of view, and is sprinkled throughout with cartoon illustrations. A lighthearted look at a serious, topical issue.-Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2010
Big news shakes Ella Mentry: budget cutbacks are forcing the school to close. Though main character A.J. states categorically on page one of the book, "I hate school," he hatches a scheme to save the place. Meanwhile, he's been sent to an off-the-wall speech therapist (whose office is in the girls' bathroom). Typical of the series, forced kid-humor meets often-above-their-head jokes.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)