My Weird School, Books 1-4

My Weird School: Books 1-4  by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Jim Paillot

The teachers and principal at the school do extreme things to help kids learn. The narrator is a boy who would rather be playing sports or video games. He always seems to misunderstand or not quite get things. There is also a know it all girl who thrives academically. The books are relatable in small doses, though they take things excessively for comedic effect.

#1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy!

Miss Daisy doesn't seem to know anything. She can't read or do math. She asks the kids to teach her. In the process they demonstrate their knowledge and learn.

#2: Mr. Klutz Is Nuts!

The boy gets in trouble and goes to the principal's office. Mr. Klutz offers him a chocolate bar as an incentive for behavior. He mentions that to his friend and now everyone wants to go. Principal stops that, but then offers to do increasingly crazy things for the students to achieve academically. He seems to injure himself doing these things and the kids offer to do the academic things only if he agrees not to do the stunts.

#3: Mrs. Roopy Is Loopy!

The librarian dresses up as all sorts of different characters to help kids learn.

#4: Ms. Hannah Is Bananas!

The art teacher encourages kids to be artistic and shows them performance as well as other types of art. The boy and girl learn to get along together and work on a project.

Coach Hyatt is a Riot

My daughter checked this out from the library because she likes the series. However, she put it down when she discovered it was about football.

My son loves football, and immediately picked it up when he discovered the contents. This was the first chapter book he read.

Ironically, the theme turns out to be pro girl. The football team is getting clobbered, but then the girl joins up and they end up winning by one point. She even gets a hug at the end.

The story is cheesy and over-the-top goofy like the other books in the series. I guess the author knows his audience.

Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles

The My Weird School series is aimed at young children, and doesn't go much beyond that audience. The principal and the school board chair are both skateboarders, though the principal still maintains his quirkiness. He is fired due to a runaway turkey. Dr. Carbles takes over and remakes the school with military discipline. However, when he finds out the former principal mentioned his toupee, he challenges him to a skateboarding duel. And who should walk in after they crash, but the county school boss, who fires Carbles and restores the superintendent.

The book is filled with puns and misheard words (including many that are repeated over and over and over again.) There are better kids books out there.