"Maintain Low Tones" (Beldar Conehead)

This is a hyper-antic school daze book with a super zany hero teacher at its center. It goes for the "Wayside School" sideways stories sweet spot of slightly Dada, deeply anarchic, off the rails school humor.

Exaggeration is the key. You can't just have a cool teacher. He has to ride a unicycle. On top of his desk. While frying bacon. That's fine, and big time silliness is always welcome. It seems to me, though, that the main challenge with such books is balance and tone. And this one is all over the place.

Early on we have a remarkably scary, (and very long), story from one kid about her experience with a possessed washing machine. That stops the book dead in its tracks. We have other shaggy dog stories from other kids, and each is more random than the last. But then we have the hoary old trope of a suspicious, mean principal who hates Mr. Bambuckle. But that's balanced by the magical tea. The upshot is that you get a blenderized reading experience with a little bit of everything thrown in and wild variations in tone, content, and narrative from chapter to chapter, and sometimes page to page. The book is about sixth graders, but for me the predictable student characters read a lot younger than that.

I get the appeal of blending School Daze and Mary Poppins. I guess at bottom I prefer a strong narrative line, (as with Poppins or a Dahl), rather than a random selection of bits, (as with Wayside School). That said, there's certainly a lot of fun to be had here, and a good deal of cheerful cleverness spread about. I'm just not sure how the disjointed story and tone would work with a younger reader.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This book is a silly and fun book to read with elementary students (probably grades 3-5). It starts with the new teacher in Room 12B wearing a dazzling blue suit while riding a unicycle, singing, and then flipping bacon in a pan. He seems to know everything about the students and even the class 'troublemaker' Mr. Bambuckle puts in place. He uses unorthodox methods to get to know his students and makes learning fun and exciting. He helps the students face their fears, gain self confidence, and work together as a team. The principle doesn't care for his unorthodox methods and is trying to get Mr. Bambuckle fired. The story ends on a cliffhanger with all of the students hugging Mr. Bambuckle after they know about a staffing change. The class 'troublemaker,' Vex Vron, sits in his chair, not hugging Mr. Bambuckle and says "It's not the end" ... "Not if I have anything to do with it....". I look forward to reading the next book and hope that Vex, with the rest of his classmates, are able to find a way to keep Mr. Bambuckle as their teacher. It is always a good thing when a teacher is able to connect with his/her students and help them enjoy learning!!

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Imagine Doctor Who mixed with Mrs Pigglewiggle and you get a sense of this book. THere's elements of magic, objects seeming to move on their own and kept in impossible places. Then there's the subtler magic of encouraging the kids to be their best selves and tricking them into learning life lessons. As a cohesive narrative it plays a bit fast and loose. The central plot is fairly simple. The individual chapters are students learning a lesson and then the principal popping in to threaten the class. Might make a fun read-aloud.

A fantastically fun book which I can see my class enjoying reading independently or as a whole class reader. Mr. Bambuckle is a delightful character and the story is interspersed with mini-stories from different students in 12b. I particularly liked Carrot and Pop's story. There's a moral within each of these stories but they're written in a way that doesn't feel preachy. I'll definitely be looking for more from this writer!

I have to get this out of the way: WHY END THERE!?!

Who do you get when you mix Magic School Bus’s Miss Frizzle, Wayside School’s Mrs. Jewls, and a touch of Doctor Who? Mr. Bambuckle is who!

The 6th grade class in 12B (because what school has a 13th classroom) are disconnected from themselves and each other. Until Mr. Bambuckle rides in on his unicycle. Their new teacher is unlike any other. He has pockets that hold anything and everything, a unicycle that moves itself, can read minds, and even becomes involved in note passing even though he is on the opposite side of the classroom.

The students love him! He helps each one find their voice – even the class bully who emulates his father. He helps each student discover something about themselves they never saw before – but he did. Not everyone in the school likes him, though, and Principal Sternblast is determined to get rid of Mr. Bambuckle. A new job rests on him firing the best teacher Class 12B has ever had.

This is book one of a series and it is absolutely hilarious. Harris takes the reader on a journey through the students’ lives as Mr. Bambuckle guides them through their day. I don’t want to give away their stories, but the images Harris created in his writing is marvelous. From flying kilts and secret plots to spying and how not to act on a date, these kids resonate on so many levels. Sixth grade is such a hard year filled with self-discovery and insecurity, that having a teacher like Mr. Bambuckle is worth fighting for… and that is exactly what they plan to do — in the next book.

Seriously, I love this book, but…but…but…why leave it there? I can only imagine how aggravating this ending will be to kids reading it. I do hope the next book comes out soon after the first one.

I highly recommend this book for EVERYONE! Adults will love it, kids will see bits of themselves in Class 12B, and if you love the Frizz, you’ll love Mr. Bambuckle.

Ending: -100
Book: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Unfortunately, this one seemed a little inappropriate for upper elementary school age children. There were some questionable words used and intense scenarios. Might be best suited for older children and those that aren't sensitive to intensity. Thank you to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the ARC.