Strangeville School books will fill the same niche as Gutman’s Weird School series, Sachar’s Wayside School and maybe even Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. With its frequent, excellent illustrations, fast pace and relatively page count, and all around goofiness, this title should prove perfect for those just leaving early chapter books, many who balk at reading anything, and fans of the absurd. Harvey is beginning his first day at Strangeville School and is hoping for more success here than at his previous four schools. Stella, writer for the school paper and revealer of secrets, guides Harvey through day one which begins with ominous and odd announcements from the principal and races through non-stop freaky things like named rats roaming the halls and a closet that may be the scariest place imaginable or simply misunderstood. No profanity, sexual content or any real violence. Target age: grades 2-4.

Night Vale but for kids! This is so fun! If you like Goosebumps, Bailey School Kids, and similar books, you will LOVE this. The principal’s announcements are hilarious. And it’s illustrated by Brett Helquist who I love.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

I enjoyed this crazy story with all of the characters. The main character was Harvey Hill.

Harvey Hill is the newest kid at Strangeville Middle School.  He meets a girl name Stella Cho that shows him around that school. While going through the day quite a few things are strange at the school.  From a giant rat to a supply closet that is talking to him in his head.

This story was fun to read. It had action, adventure, and secrets throughout. It had quite a few laughs within.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

This was a delightful read! As an elementary school librarian, I already know reading the first page is the only Book Talk I need to do to get students to pick this one up! The first page is hysterical and completely gripping, two things the story manages to do throughout all its pages. This nonsensical story is exactly what I think students need to destress. There really is no *point* to the story, and yet it is one I think every student should read. Definitely left me with the warm fuzzies and I most definitely will be purchasing it for my library!

"Strangeville" is certainly an accurate name for this book. We are presented with a wide variety of events, mostly unexplained. We simply accept them as the reality of this world. There is some heavy handed hinting at secrets that got annoying as the book progressed but a kid will likely ignore that. You can see the influence of Wayside School on this book though Miller has included a stronger central plot driving all of the weirdness. While I found it perhaps a bit too strange I can certainly imagine that a young audience will enjoy it.

This was delightful and entertaining. When it says that it is a combination of Wayside School and Nightvale, it is very accurate. While the characters are a little bland in the need to make them over the top, I do like that they were all strange. This was silly and fun, the climax wasn't that great, but I'd really like a whole series of this school.

Even Better Than the Blurbs

The blurb for this book describes it as "Wayside School" meets "Welcome to Nightvale". That sounded intriguing. I'm not a fan of the "Wayside School" books, which strike me as forced and too self-consciously silly. On the other hand, "Welcome to Nightvale", which is aimed at adults, is weird, deadpan, and vaguely threatening in a clever, sardonic, and creepy/edgy fashion. What would come of an elementary/young middle school melding of those two?

It turns out, for me, that we end up with a Wayside frame, but lots of clever and engaging Nightvale touches. We even get a coherent story arc that wraps up in a surprisingly satisfying fashion. Along the way the "wacky" stuff isn't silly, it's more nuanced and clever than that. We get a class pet who harbors deep grievances and plots the destruction of his school captors. We get cafeteria meatloaf that has been crossed with a black hole as its secret ingredient. We get a psychotic school nurse who makes Nurse Ratched look like Florence Nightingale. There is a surprisingly edgy riff on how every kid is allergic to something, including a kid who's allergic to kids who are allergic. And so on. Some of the bits work and some don't, (is a flugelhorn always funny?), but the fast pace keeps the funny stuff coming, and the winners are worth it.

All of this is wrapped around a standard, but perfectly engaging, reluctant new kid hero and an equally standard, but also engaging, street smart gal pal. They follow the well-worn trail from zeroes to heroes, but there are no false steps, and you root for them all the way, which strikes me as what you want and expect from this sort of book.

So, good kids, decent plot, amusing silliness, and some sly and deadpan treats - that worked for me.

(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 really silly and a lot of things happened in the span of one day! I do think kids will enjoy the silliness probably more than some adults but I still had fun with it.

Harvey Hill's first day at Strangeville School is an interesting one. First he is mistaken as the pest control person by Stella, who was actually suppose to be showing him around the school, and he ends up having to up into the vents to get the rat that might have ate some growth serum, yep, that is right.

His day only gets better as he tries to survive the day against the Aligators let in by the Janitor to get rid of the pirahnas, then the large python that is there to take care of other problems. Not to mention the storage closet that seems to have an evil plot against the school and everyone is terrified of it.  It's just a day in the life at Strangeville School and poor Harvey just doesn't think he belongs there.

Everyone is weird, kids and teachers alike keep disappearing and everyone acts as if it's normal. Stella says everyone has a secret and Harvey is afraid to let anyone know his because he isn't weird, at least that is what he keeps saying. Then he keeps getting a weird voice in his head that he is sure is the storage closet and he has to try and figure out what is going on.

That is just a few things that is going on while reading this book. Like I said it's a bit silly but I do think that kids will have a lot of fun with it!

My daughter and I both loved Strangeville School is Totally Normal. She really enjoyed the strangeness of the school and the adventures Harvey and Stella went on especially their pursuit of trying to solve the mysteries surrounding the supply closet. She laughed out loud more than once and I loved that the characters where themselves and did not try to conform to fit in with the kids around them.

Harvey Hill seems like an ordinary 5th grader, with average elbows. He is new to Strangeville School, and is looking forward to just blending in and not drawing attention to himself. Of course that is impossible in a school that is anything but ordinary. The school is in a perpetual state of fear thanks to the ominous supply closet. The closet is on a mission to rule the school. Harvey meets Stella, the school newspaper writer, who is in pursuit of the story behind the supply closet. Harvey and Stella begin a wild adventure full of a giant rat, baby crocodiles and the discovery to the schools biggest mystery.

This is a Middle Grade. I have to say I really enjoy this book. I love the storyline and the plot kept you wanting to keep reading. The characters where fun, and they made the book everything it was. This book was weird and so funny. I read part of this book to my daughter to see if she would want me to get it for her when it comes out, and she loved it. This is a fun and funny read, and I feel it will pull kids into it with no problem. There are pictures through out this book, and I felt the pictures helped the kid get the whole story. Great book for kids just getting used to chapter books because the chapters are short, book is fast pace, and the pictures pulls the kids into the story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Random House Books for Young Readers) or author (Darcy Miller) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Strangeville School will bring the same laughs as the Wayside School books. Harvey is once again the new kid as he is starting at his fourth new school in four years. He quickly realizes this school is not normal, and after barely surviving a game of dodge ball during PE (bowling balls were used!), he sets about trying to figure out what makes Strangeville School so strange and unique...all while keeping his own secret! A funny read for young middle grade readers...perfect for 2nd-5th grade!