The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Something strange is happening to the sixth grade—and it’s up to student scientist Wilmer Dooley to crack the case in this hilarious mystery “filled with entertaining twists and nutty characters” (Publishers Weekly).
If there’s one important thing Wilmer Dooley’s dad always says, it’s this: “Where are my car keys?”
Okay, maybe not that. He also says: “Observe!”
Wilmer has always known that the greatest science comes from the keenest observations. So when he observes his classmates looking a little green…and orange...and chartreuse-fuchsia polka-dotted...he knows that it’s up to him to find the cause of this mysterious illness—and its cure.
But with his arch nemesis, Claudius Dill, hot on his heels; the eagle-eyed biology teacher, Mrs. Padgett, determined to thwart his plans; and a host of fluorescent classmates bouncing off the walls at increasingly dangerous speeds, can Wilmer prove he has what it takes to save the sixth grade from a colorful demise before it’s too late?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wilmer Dooley is a budding scientist, and he has a serious crush on fellow sixth-grader Roxie McGhee. So when a virus breaks out at school, and Roxie falls ill, Wilmer dedicates himself to finding the cure, which could also win him the sixth-grade science medal. The virus turns people vibrant colors and gives them excessive energy, just one of the offbeat touches in this exuberant novel from DeWitt (a pseudonym for author Allan Woodrow), which mixes Wilmer's scientific journal entries into a lively third-person narrative. The gross factor is high, with vivid descriptions of the vomit and mucus Wilmer collects as samples for his investigation. Adults are generally useless and bumbling, leaving the real work to the kids. Wilmer's nemesis, Claudius, plots against him, as does evil science teacher Valveeta Padgett, but the good guys have science on their side as they fight for the cure and the medal. Filled with entertaining twists and nutty characters, DeWitt's story celebrates friendship and perseverance. Art not seen by PW. Ages 7 10.