Pennybaker School Is Headed for Disaster

May 8, 2017
A knack for magic tricks (and a bit of alchemy) lands sixth-grader Thomas Fallgrout at the Pennybaker Hill Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, where he befriends thespian Wesley, who speaks in many accents and wields a mean spitball-shooting straw. Thomas is excited to be part of the school’s annual spitball war and is even named captain of the boys’ team, but when the bust of a beloved teacher goes missing, the theft takes center stage—and everyone believes that Thomas took it. The only ones willing to help Thomas prove his innocence are his sister, Erma, and Chip, a weird neighbor Thomas generally tries to avoid. Brown (How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me from Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel) delivers a well-plotted mystery in this series opener, with plenty of red herrings and a satisfying resolution. But it’s the quirky humor and wild characters, such as Thomas’s skateboard- and motorcycle-riding Grandma Jo, that will stick with readers. Kissi’s lively b&w spot illustrations, not all seen by PW, help bring this exuberant story to life. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Bright Agency.

February 1, 2017

Gr 4-7-Pennybaker Hill Academy accepts students with unique gifts. Sixth grader Thomas Fallgrout enrolls because of his genius basement chemistry and magic tricks. Upon arrival, Thomas is surprised that the students revere a statue of math teacher Helen Heirmauser. He feels their unilateral admiration is misplaced and old-fashioned. When someone steals the statue's head, everyone blames Thomas. Loathed by his new friends Wes and Owen, Thomas becomes isolated when even his parents and Grandma Jo think he is the thief. Thomas reluctantly colludes with his quirky neighbor Chip Mason, a boy with socks for every occasion, to find the real culprit. As the novel begins, Brown limns Thomas in first-person monologue with gross and wacky thoughts about history, science, and his life. Thomas exists in slight contrast to socially clueless Chip and is a pained witness to his mother's juvenile arguments with Grandma Jo. The story takes a serious turn when the school brands Thomas a thief. Gradually, he loses his entire support system, and his despair and sadness seem frighteningly real, most so when none of the adults in his life believe him. Forced to befriend Chip, Thomas learns to deconstruct the other boy's behaviors and becomes more empathetic. This seemingly light book includes a thoughtful look at judgment and friendship.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
Sixth-grade magician Thomas Fallgrout has a troubled start in his new school, where unusual talents are the norm.At the Pennybaker Hill Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, a bronze bust of a much-admired former teacher stands in the front hall, venerated by students and staff alike. Thomas calls the statue the "Heirmauser head of horror"--a sacrilege that makes him the likely suspect when it disappears from its shrine in the vestibule. Billed as the first of a series of books about middle schoolers whose talents range from talking to hedgehogs to playing the digeridoo, this is nonstop middle-grade humor--spitball wars, food fights, a skateboarding grandmother, and all. Thomas' first-person narrative is full of imagined horrible punishments for Louis XIV, inventor of the necktie he has to wear as part of his school uniform, and other flights of his imagination. Occasionally the voice is more adult than sixth-grade, but the absurdity remains. Beyond the mystery of the stolen bust, there are familiar new-in-school and friendship themes. Thomas thinks his new neighbor Chip Mason is "capital-'W' weird," but, over time, Chip becomes the friend Thomas sorely needs. Kissi's black-and-white illustrations show Thomas as white and Chip as black; final art not seen. Humor that works its own magic trick: disappearing from middle school shelves. (Fiction. 9-12)

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March 15, 2017
Grades 4-6 Pennybaker Hill Academy for the Uniquely Gifted might be a good fit for some kids, but Thomas isn't sure he is especially gifted at performing magic tricks, and besides, his public middle school was at least familiar. Still, wearing the scratchy Pennybaker uniform (suit, vest, and bow tie), he enters the academy, establishes himself as a spitball sharpshooter, and quickly makes friends. When a statuethe beloved bust of a revered teacherdisappears and suspicion falls on Thomas, even his parents think he's guilty. He and his dorky neighbor work to find the sculpture and clear his name. There's plenty going on here, from the never-entirely-convincing veneration of the bust to an intergenerational subplot in which Thomas' mother tries to curtail his feisty grandmother's pursuit of skateboarding thrills, but it all ties together in the end. And while the exaggeration in Thomas' first-person narrative may undermine his credibility from time to time, it also makes the story amusing for readers who enjoy Brown's offbeat humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)