Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip

I have absolutely no idea where to start with this book I simply loved it from page one to page 326. What do I love about this book?

• I love the energy of the main characters – Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe.
• I love the politics of a school district driven by State wide testing to the point of hysteria and madness.
• I love the idea of a student newspaper that reports on news from the town not just the school.
• I love books that celebrate great teachers (Andrew Clements does this).
• I love the idea of overprotective school administrative staff who guard the Principal.
• I love reading about corruption in government.
• And most of all I love books where truth is the winner.

Adam and Jennifer are co-editors of The Slash, the student newspaper of Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam and Jennifer have worked on the newspaper for many years and are now coming to the end of middle school so they have been selected as editors, Phoebe is a third grader and she is keen to be a reporter. Adam is skeptical but luckily Jennifer gives Phoebe a chance. Phoebe has an enormous amount of talent which she demonstrated when she conducts five interviews with the school Janitor, Eddie. This opens a huge can of worms for the School Principal Mrs Marris.

Meanwhile Adam is working on a story about the banning of basketball hoops that are visible from the street and the mysterious Minnie Bloch who has bequeathed an enormous sum of money to the school even though she appears to have lived in poverty in the poorest neighborhood in the town. Then there is the story of the smile competition run at the local shopping mall by the town dentists that seems to promote sweets not clean teeth.

If you have read any books by Andrew Clements then rush out and grab Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip – it is a winner!!! I also found 37 pages of teacher notes. Here are some more notes with details about the author who I now discover is a journalist on the New York Times - this should not be a surprise but it is! Here is a little book review video. Good news there are two more books about Adam Canfield keep an eye open they should appear in our library very soon.