THE SCHOOL STORY
Andrew Clements, Author, Brian Selznick, Illustrator , illus. b
In a starred review,
Details
Reviewed on: 08/12/2002
Genre: Children's
- Amazon
- Apple Books
- Barnes & Noble
- Bookshop
- IndieBound
- Share
- Tweet
- Copy Link
More By and About this Authorchevron_right
- THE SCHOOL STORYAndrew ClementsClements's (Frindle) absorbing novel centers on Natalie, a 12-year-old aspiring author who, since her father died in an automobile accident, lives alone with Continue reading »
- THE JANITOR'S BOYAndrew ClementsIn a starred review, PW said that Clements "effectively draws a parallel" between Jack getting to know his janitor father, John, and John's Continue reading »
- THE JACKETAndrew ClementsOriginally serialized in the Boston Globe, Clements's (Frindle; The School Story) Continue reading »
- THINGS NOT SEENAndrew ClementsThe earnest and likable 15-year-old narrator is the principal thing not seen in Clements's (Frindle; The Jacket) Continue reading »
- A WEEK IN THE WOODSAndrew ClementsMark, the 11-year-old at the center of Clements's (Frindle; The Jacket) brooding and uneven novel, initially has no Continue reading »
- THE JACKETAndrew ClementsA sixth grader realizes he is prejudiced when he falsely assumes that an African-American schoolmate has stolen his coat. "The story pointedly delivers a timely message and can serve as a Continue reading »
- THE REPORT CARDAndrew ClementsWith subtlety and authority, Clements (A Week in the Woods ) explores the plight of extraordinarily intelligent Nora, who, determined to avoid being singled out, Continue reading »
- THINGS NOT SEENAndrew ClementsA 15-year-old boy discovers that he has turned invisible overnight and becomes determined to take control of the situation and of his own destiny. "As preposterous as the teen's Continue reading »
- A WEEK IN THE WOODSAndrew ClementsA showdown between an 11-year-old and his teacher occurs at the start of an annual environmental program when they spend a week in a wooded state park. Ages 9-13. Continue reading »
- THE LAST HOLIDAY CONCERTAndrew ClementsClements's (The Report Card ) latest school-centered novel introduces Hart Evans, the most popular boy in school ("Hart could have charmed the hairnet Continue reading »
- SLIPPERS AT HOME; NAPTIME FOR SLIPPERSAndrew ClementsIn Slippers at Home , Clements (Frindle ) introduces the chubby hound hero of his new series and owners Mommy, Daddy, Laura Continue reading »
- Lunch MoneyAndrew ClementsClements's (Frindle ) offers an uncharacteristically thin novel introducing a boy who excels at athletics and academics—and is a whiz at Continue reading »
- Big Al and ShrimpyAndrew ClementsIn this sequel to Big Al , "the spreads of the ocean depths are every bit as appealing as in the previous book," according to Continue reading »
- The Report CardAndrew Clements"With subtlety and authority, Clements explores the plight of an extraordinarily intelligent girl, who from an early age, has strategically hidden her genius from her parents, peers and Continue reading »
- A Million DotsAndrew ClementsClements (Room One , reviewed below) sets out, with mixed results, to explain the concept of one million through a roundup of number factoids and an accumulation Continue reading »
- Room One: A Mystery or TwoAndrew ClementsClements (Frindle ) introduces 12-year-old Ted, a likable lad who reads multiple mysteries each week—and insists on solving each midway through the book. Continue reading »
- Room One: A Mystery or TwoAndrew ClementsNobbs does a fine job of portraying aspiring detective Ted Hammond, a fifth-grader who wishes he could solve the mystery of what will become of his family's farm and his one-room schoolhouse Continue reading »
- Things Hoped ForAndrew ClementsClements hits no false notes in this beguiling sequel to Things Not Seen . Narrator Gwen left her West Virginia home two years earlier to live with her ailing Continue reading »
- No TalkingAndrew ClementsC lements's (Lunch Money ) latest thoughtful school tale opens as fifth-grader Dave researches a report on India. He is Continue reading »
- DogkuAndrew ClementsClements (Lunch Money) cleverly combines haiku and an endearing canine protagonist in this jaunty tale, written primarily from the pooch's perspective. Continue reading »
- Lost and FoundAndrew ClementsIdentical twins Ray and Jay Grayson prepare for yet another year of being perceived as “two peas in a pod, two ducks on a pond, two spoons in a drawer,” when their family moves from Continue reading »
- Extra CreditAndrew ClementsClements (Frindle ) successfully bridges two cultures in this timely and insightful dual-perspective story. When Abby learns that her teachers want her to repeat Continue reading »
- FrindleAndrew ClementsTrying to aggravate a tough language-arts teacher, a fifth-grade boy invents a new word for pen: ""frindle."" Soon, the whole country is using it. ""Dictionary lovers will cotton to this mild Continue reading »
- FrindleAndrew ClementsAlways one step ahead of his teachers, Nick not only can ""feel a homework assignment coming the way a farmer can feel a rainstorm"" but can dream up a distraction to prevent the assignment from Continue reading »
- Double Trouble in Walla WallaAndrew Clements, Andrew ClementsIn this breathlessly verbose tale, a rash of compound nonsense words infects an elementary school. Student Lulu exhibits the first symptom when she complains, ""My homework is all higgledy-piggledy. Continue reading »
- The Janitor's BoyAndrew ClementsAs he did in Frindle and The Landry News, Clements here puts an intelligent and credible fifth-grader at the center of a memorable novel. As the book opens, Jack, after much careful planning, is Continue reading »
- Jake Drake, Class ClownAndrew ClementsSerious attempts to get a grumpy student teacher to crack a smile yield unexpected results in Jake Drake, Class Clown by Andrew Clements, illus. by Dolores Avenda$o, the fourth title about Jake in Continue reading »
- Big Al and ShrimpyAndrew ClementsThe sequel to Big Al, Big Al and Shrimpy by Andrew Clements, illus. by Yoshi, explores the friendship between the mismatched fish; an unlikely turn of events signals certain change in the smaller Continue reading »
- Room One: A Mystery or TwoAndrew ClementsClements (Frindle ) introduces 12-year-old Ted, a likable lad who reads multiple mysteries each week\x97and insists on solving each midway through the book. (Then he reads the second half to see if Continue reading »
- Mother Earth's Counting BookAndrew ClementsIf the motto of the day is ``Think globally, act locally,'' this luminous picture book helps inculcate that environmentalist precept. Clements urges readers to count from one earth (``only one'') Continue reading »
- Bright Christmas: An Angel RemembersAndrew ClementsA wise angel who has seen it all delivers an anecdotal account of the night that was ""different from all the others--ever,"" the night that ""the great truth came to the earth once and for all."" In Continue reading »
- WorkshopAndrew ClementsPrecision and poetry characterize this singular volume, which introduces the hand tools in a wood- and metal-working shop as the builders construct a carousel. Each spread presents one implement, Continue reading »
- Jake Drake: Teacher's PetAndrew ClementsIn Jake Drake: Teacher's Pet by Andrew Clements, the third title in this series about an earnest and likable third-grader, Jake's attempts to turn his goody-two-shoes reputation around are aided Continue reading »
- Andrew Clements School DaysAndrew ClementsFour of Andrew Clements's most popular books have been gathered into a boxed set, called School Days. The Janitor's Boy; The School Story (which both garnered starred reviews in PW); Frindle and Continue reading »
- Noah and the Ark and the AnimalsAndrew ClementsWhen a colt is concerned about incessant rain, his mother reassures him with an inventive new take on an old tale. Ages 4-8. Continue reading »
- TroublemakerAndrew ClementsClements (Extra Credit) delivers another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders. Like his older brother, Mitch, sixth-grader Clay is habitually in trouble, and he can't wait Continue reading »
- The Whites of Their Eyes: Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the SchoolAndrew ClementsClements?s third book in the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series finds the titular character fighting to prevent his school from being torn down and replaced by an oceanfront amusement Continue reading »
- The Friendship WarAndrew ClementsIn the latest on-point school story by Clements (The Losers Club), compulsive collector Grace is thrilled when her grandfather says she can keep the 27 boxes of buttons she discovers in his Continue reading »
- THE SCHOOL STORYAndrew ClementsClements's (Frindle) absorbing novel centers on Natalie, a 12-year-old aspiring author who, since her father died in an automobile accident, lives alone with Continue reading »
- THE JANITOR'S BOYAndrew ClementsIn a starred review, PW said that Clements "effectively draws a parallel" between Jack getting to know his janitor father, John, and John's Continue reading »
- THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINSBarbara KerleyOne look at this amazing-but-true picture book introducing the little-known artist Hawkins and his dreams of dinosaurs, and kids may well forget about Jurassic Continue reading »
- THE BOY OF A THOUSAND FACESBrian SelznickA 10-year-old boy born on Halloween has an imagination on overdrive and an obsessive love of monsters. "Characteristically detailed and moodily lit, Selznick's closely focused drawings Continue reading »
- WINGWALKERRosemary WellsStudded with Selznick's evocative illustrations, Wells's affecting chapter book opens in 1933, when the young narrator wins an airplane ride with a stunt pilot at the Oklahoma Air Races. Continue reading »
- WHEN MARIAN SANGPam Munoz RyanThe creative team behind Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride returns with a picture book biography as understated and graceful as its subject, singer Marian Continue reading »
- THE MEANEST DOLL IN THE WORLDAnn Matthews MartinThe team behind The Doll People serves up a second helping of fanciful fun as they continue the adventures of two sets of dolls—the antique Doll family Continue reading »
- THE DOLL PEOPLEAnn Matthews MartinThis novel, named a PW Best Book of 2000, introduces the Doll family, who has lived in the same dollhouse, in the same room of a family's home for 100 Continue reading »
- WALT WHITMAN: Words for AmericaBarbara KerleyThe creators of The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins open this innovative, intriguing biography with an anecdotal look at the poet's early years as a Continue reading »
- THE DULCIMER BOYTor SeidlerThis reissue of the 1979 tale of two orphaned boys left on their uncle's doorstep is now accompanied by elegant half-tone illustrations by Selznick. PW Continue reading »
- Lunch MoneyAndrew ClementsClements's (Frindle ) offers an uncharacteristically thin novel introducing a boy who excels at athletics and academics—and is a whiz at Continue reading »
- Marly's GhostDavid LevithanIn Levithan's (Boy Meets Boy ) clever but rather thin retelling of A Christmas Carol , he casts sad teenaged Ben as Continue reading »
- The Invention of Hugo CabretBrian SelznickHere is a true masterpiece—an artful blending of narrative, illustration and cinematic technique, for a story as tantalizing as it is touching. Twelve-year-old orphan Hugo lives in Continue reading »
- The Runaway DollsAnn Matthews Martin, Laura GodwinA fantasy with one foot in reality, this third adventure for the mismatched team of antique porcelain Annabelle Doll and contemporary plastic plaything Tiffany Funcraft (previously encountered in Continue reading »
- FrindleAndrew ClementsTrying to aggravate a tough language-arts teacher, a fifth-grade boy invents a new word for pen: ""frindle."" Soon, the whole country is using it. ""Dictionary lovers will cotton to this mild Continue reading »
- FrindleAndrew ClementsAlways one step ahead of his teachers, Nick not only can ""feel a homework assignment coming the way a farmer can feel a rainstorm"" but can dream up a distraction to prevent the assignment from Continue reading »
- Riding FreedomPam Munoz RyanPW's starred review called this fictionalized biography of equestrian Charlotte ""Charley"" Parkhurst--who lived her life disguised as a man and was the first woman voter in the U.S.--an ""ebullient Continue reading »
- Amelia and Eleanor Go for a RidePam Munoz RyanIn this sparkling picture book based on a true incident, Ryan (Riding Freedom, with Selznick) proves that Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt truly were ""birds of a feather."" Friends in real life, Continue reading »
- The Doll PeopleAnn Matthews MartinPassed down from one generation to the next, the Doll family has lived in the same dollhouse, located in the same room of the Palmer family's house, for 100 years. While the world outside has Continue reading »
- The Robot KingBrian SelznickFrom its opening in a moonlit cemetery, where a sister and brother are gathering stones, bits of glass and twigs near their mother's grave, this mannered fantasy is more portentous than rewarding. Continue reading »
- Our House: The Stories of LevittownPam ConradTracing the evolution of one house through the recollections of its residents, the author of Prairie Songs and My Daniel once again brings history to life while paying tribute to the birth and growth Continue reading »
- Riding FreedomPam Munoz Ryan, Pam Munoz RyanThe true story of Charlotte ""Charley"" Darkey Parkhurst, a woman who lived her life disguised as a man so she could be a stagecoach driver, is the basis for this ebullient and tautly structured Continue reading »
- Barnyard PrayersLaura Godwin, Laura GoodwinWords and pictures play equal roles in this inviting volume, which playfully reprises and refreshes familiar themes and conceits. Selznick's (The Houdini Box) paintings first present a city boy Continue reading »
- The Boy of a Thousand FacesBrian SelznickSelznick's (The Houdini Box) offbeat tale introduces Alonzo King, a boy who has a Halloween birthday, an imagination on overdrive and an obsessive love of monsters. The 10-year-old's heroes are Mr. Continue reading »
- Riding Freedom (Caballo Llamado Lib Ertad, Un)Pam Munoz Ryan, Pam Munoz RyanGr 4-6-Based on the true-life experience of Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, this Spanish translation of Muoz Ryan's popular 1999 title, promises to keep independent readers engaged through to the end. Continue reading »
- The Dulcimer BoyTor SeidlerFans of a host of favorite authors will be glad to see their books being reissued this spring and summer. Tor Seidler's The Dulcimer Boy, originally published in 1979, is back with elegant Continue reading »
- Doll Face Has a Party!Pam ConradDoll Face decides to throw a party for her friends, a party ``with music and dancing and Sweet Cake.'' In excitement she sets the table, instructing Plate to be still, Fork to be straight, Cup to Continue reading »
- The Boy Who Longed for a LiftNorma FarberJaunty verse and droll illustrations prove a winning combination in this sprightly picture book, another posthumous offering from Farber (I Swim an Ocean in My Sleep). Tired of walking, a boy Continue reading »
- WonderstruckSelznick follows his Caldecott-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret with another illustrated novel that should cement his reputation as one of the most innovative storytellers at work today. Ben and Continue reading »
- The MarvelsBrian SelznickSelznick imagines an alternate backstory for a real English tourist attraction, the Dennis Severs? House: 10 meticulously curated rooms that suggest what life might have been like for a family of Continue reading »
- Baby Monkey, Private EyeBrian Selznick, David SerlinA nearly 200-page chapter book for emerging readers? Using a pared-down vocabulary and luxuriant, chiaroscuro drawings, Selznick (The Marvels) and husband Serlin make it work?brilliantly. Continue reading »
![]()
We spoke with author Brian Selznick about his film adaptation of 'Wonderstruck' and forthcoming projects. Continue reading »
Featured Children's Reviews
How You Grow Wings
Rimma Onoseta
Onoseta’s devastatingly vulnerable debut, told nonlinearly in two teen Nigerian girls’ dual perspectives, portrays a tempestuous sisterhood amid colorism, familial trauma, and Continue reading »
Tumble
Celia C Pérez
Humor and heartfelt emotion reign supreme in a quirky narrative that centers the importance of family, blood or blended. Twelve-year-old Adela Ramírez, who’s of Mexican descent, Continue reading »
Sal Boat (A Boat by Sal)
Thyra Heder
“Sal loved the water. He liked to imagine it moving under his feet.” With junk from his mother’s garage and pickings from local businesses, he starts building. In the family’s Continue reading »
Rick the Rock of Room 214
Julie Falatko
Rick, a lumpy gray rock with googly eyes and a sweet smile, has been sitting on Room 214’s Nature Finds shelf “for as long as he can remember” while on-the-move human students, Continue reading »
chevron_right
