Miss Nelson is Back

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with MISS NELSON HAS A FIELD DAY.]--In the series of books about Miss Nelson, Allard and Marshall have taken the good guy vs. bad guy routine and turned it into a teacher vs. substitute situation, with predictable yet somehow surprising and enjoyable twists. Diana Canova reads both of these stories slowly and surely, creating distinct voices for Miss Nelson, Viola Swamp, and Mr. Blandsworth. The beauty of audiobooks shines through here, with a solid combination of all the important elements: background mood music, realistic kids' voices, great sound effects, solid narration, and a dramatic (if predictable) plot with a satisfying ending. MISS NELSON HAS A FIELD DAY comes across as livelier and, as the last story in the series, enjoys the more unexpected ending. But both audiobooks will be surefire hits, as the books have been for years. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

May 1, 1986
Miss Nelson goes away for a week, and the kids in Room 207 fear that they'll have the dreaded substitute teacher, Viola Swamp. Instead, they get Principal Blandsworth, who bores them into taking drastic measures. "A nutty sequel to Miss Nelson Is Missing,'' PW stated. ``Marshall's color cartoons and the twisty tale rise to stratospheric heights of buffoonery.''