A book of coupons by Susie Morgenstern

This is one of those really precious books (first published in French 1999, US English edition 2001) that I have been recommending for many years.  The terrific thing about internet shopping is the way you can now find copies of long out of print titles often in mint condition.  I did a little shopping the other day and found A book of Coupons and my copy arrived last week.

In just 62 pages Susie Morgestern gives us a picture of this little class of students in their last year of Primary school.  The new teacher is a disappointment - or is he?

"There he was, sitting behind his desk like some unmovable tree trunk ... Could all those wrinkles be real?"

Mr Noel (some people call him Santa) then surprises the students by presenting each of them with a book of coupons.  "I love giving presents, and I am going to give them to you every single day. I'm giving you the whole year of lessons for free. I'm giving away books. I'm giving away penmanship and spelling. I'm giving away math and science. ... I'm even throwing in the cataclysms."

Some sample coupons :

• One coupon for sleeping late
• One coupon for skipping a day of school
• One coupon for being late for school
• One coupon for getting out of trouble
• One coupon for dancing in class
• One coupon for clowning around
• One coupon for giving the teacher a kiss on the cheek

Later that day he gives the students a copy of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

"My gift to you is the story, the characters, the words, the ideas, the style, the emotions. Once you have read the book, 

all these things will be yours for life."

The angry school Principal keeps visiting the classroom at the 'wrong' times. She sees dancing the first time she calls in.  She is determined to get rid of this inappropriate teacher.  The next time she enters the room she sees a real cataclysm.  The kids have decided to use the same coupon at once. Then there is a day when all the kids stay home. Except for Charles who used his stay home coupon earlier in the year.  Charles and Monsieur Noel write a new set of coupons for the aptly named Principal - Madame Incarnation Perez.

• One coupon to tell a joke
• One coupon to take a bubble bath
• One coupon to go on a picnic
• One coupon to make up a poem
• One coupon for a spin on a merry-go-round

At the end of the year all of the students have a special coupon for Mr Noel himself.  Yes he does have to retire and sadly the Principal did not get to read or enjoy her coupons and yet somehow the ending is just perfect.

If you are looking for a little book that will warm your heart read A book of Coupons.  If you are looking for a joyous book to read aloud to a middle Primary class read A book of Coupons.  If you want to share a book about kindness with a young reader - grab hold of A book of Coupons.

You might like to read my review of Sally Morgenstern's other book Secret Letters from 0-10.  I also recommend watching the French movie To be and to Have after reading A book of Coupons.

The secret life of Ms Finkleman by Ben H Winters

"Mr Melville was a large man of late middle age, with a wild mane of thick white hair, a thick white beard, and thick white eyebrows that were forever arching upward to express sarcasm, mock bewilderment, or scorn.  The Eyebrows of Cruelty, as there were know to all at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School, weren't the only remarkable things about Mr Melville."

Mr Melville is famous for his eyebrows, for never speaking to other teachers, for giving a huge test once each semester which is only announced the night before and most importantly for his Special Project.

"Special Projects were totally random assignments that had nothing whatsoever to do with the approved Social Studies syllabus.  They were invented by Mr Melville personally ... Special Projects were weird, cool, and interesting."

This year the Special Project is to find a mystery and solve it.  It takes only a few seconds for Bethesda to decide on the perfect mystery.  She is going to investigate the school music teacher Ms. Finkleman.  As with all good detectives, Bethesda hunts out primary sources, conducts various interviews and she follows up all leads but the mystery that she uncovers will impact on every student in seventh-grade music fundamentals in ways no one could ever predict.

This book is filled with terrific characters - Principal Isabella Van Vreeland who seems like a maniac, her Assistant Jasper Ferras who knows how to jump when the Principal says jump!, Kevin McKelvey the piano kid, Ms Finkleman who thinks of herself as an agouti - a shy nervous rodent from the jungles of South America.  "The agouti's only hope of survival ... was to be at all times as small and still and plain and dull as possible." and perfect Pamela Preston who needs to maintain her position at the centre of the universe.

If you are a fan of Andrew Clements then you will love this book.  I highly recommend The secret Life of Ms Finkelman, I read it all in one sitting. Go to your library and grab this book.  When you have read it you should look for Adam Canfield of the Slash, The fabled fourth graders of Aesop Elementary and I put a spell on you.

Liberally laced with humor and featuring an upbeat heroine, unexpected friendship and rock-music trivia, this witty middle-school drama offers a lighthearted lesson in the importance of getting the facts straight. 

Trouble-Maker by Andrew Clements

There is always a wonderful sense of anticipation when a new Andrew Clements title arrives in our library. If you have been following my blog then you might have read my review of Extra Credit for example.

Trouble-maker is not quite at the level of Frindle, Extra Credit or The Landry News but it is nevertheless a good read. If you have read The Janitors boy then you have met a character like Clay who is the central character in this newest book. Clay cannot help creating mischief. He rumbles with his friends, sabotages his classmates, starts food fights in the cafeteria and regularly challenges authority figures especially the school Principal Mr Kelling. Here is a good example of Clay’s strategies when the class have a substitute teacher.

“The woman looked like she as about seventeen. She was all nervous and chatty, trying to be way too friendly with the kids. It would have been so much fun to mess with her head – maybe act like he only spoke Russian … or maybe he could start crying and tell her how his pet skunk died yesterday … or maybe pretend he was allergic to her makeup, see if he could get her to scrub all of it off her face. He could riff and goof and tumble her head around until she ran screaming out of the room … like some other subs had.”

The turning point for Clay comes when his brother Mitch arrives home after a short stint in jail. For Clay, Mitch is his hero. Clay thinks Mitch will be impressed and proud of his school mischief but the reverse is true. Mitchell’s experience in jail has been profound. He is determined his younger brother will never go to jail. Mitch makes Clay promise to reform. He organizes a new tidy hair cut and new school clothes for Clay and makes sure Clay is not out late with his friends.

This is all fine until Halloween. The home of the school Principal is vandalized and everything points to Clay.

This is a very short book but it shows the power of our thoughts and the power of an individual to change his or her outlook on life and relationships with others. I think middle Primary boys in particular would enjoy Trouble-Maker by Andrew Clements. You might also enjoy Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip, The Janitors Boy or Small steps by Louis Sachar (read Holes first). Slightly older students might also take a look at Wringer by Louis Sacher.

One final thing I loved the character of the school secretary Mrs Ormin – she is perfect!

Here are some discussion questions, an audio file and a good review if you need to read more about this book!