Room 207

December 1, 2006
Gr 4-6-This novel has all of the right elements for an entertaining read: an eccentric, animal-loving teacher; a gang of wacky classmates; an unusual classroom environment; and some supernatural activity. The book, however, falls terribly short, relying on the children making the adults look stupid. Students use inappropriate language and humiliate their peers; authority figures are witless, humorless, and idiotic. The story takes place in an old-fashioned schoolhouse that shares property with a more modern school. When an accident wrecks a classroom, Ms. Chimney must set up in the old school. Then the beloved teacher goes missing in a cloud of exploding slime, and the children have to rescue her. The setting is rife with possibility that, unfortunately, remains unexplored. Even the resident ghost cat proves disappointing. Occasional cartoons, employing stick figures in black and white, do little to enrich the flat text."Corrina Austin, Lockes Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada"

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