Class President

June 1, 1999
Gr 2-4-Its an unusual day at Marvins school: everyone, including his teacher and the principal, is wearing something with holes in it. All come to regret hole day when they find out they will be having a surprise visitorthe President of the United States. As the teacher frantically tries to cover up the tear in her shirt that reveals her belly button, television crews enter the classroom. When the president arrives, he talks to the children about good citizenship and then allows time for questions. Marvin is so caught up in the excitement of the day that he forgets to go right home after school and finds himself in big trouble with his parents. All is forgiven, however, when his folks see him with the president on TV that night. Sachar exhibits a keen sense of the way a typical third grader thinks and he sprinkles the text with believable dialogue. Through a perfect blend of humor and thoughtful prose, he drives home the point of what good citizenship is without being didactic. The lively text is broken up periodically with black-and-white drawings. Despite its rather abrupt ending, this beginning chapter book will appeal to fans of the series.Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 1999
Gr. 2^-4. Marvin's third-grade class is celebrating "hole day" when the President of the United States pays them a surprise visit. A television crew films the action as the president leads the class in a discussion of good citizenship and answers their questions on a variety of topics. Sachar's wit brightens the book, but the humor never overwhelms his depiction of the small, everyday expressions of human nature and, in particular, the child's experiences, such as Marvin's simple enjoyment of "hole day"; his frustration when his parents won't listen to him; and the way his brain turns off when the president asks his name. An entertaining addition to a popular series of beginning chapter books. To be illustrated. ((Reviewed April 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)