Pennybaker School Is Headed for Disaster
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Gordon Korman and Stuart Gibbs comes the first book in an illustrated middle grade series about the adventures of a memorable group of uniquely gifted sixth graders.
Thomas Fallgrout always thought of himself as a regular kid until the day he accidentally creates a little big of magic using his grandpa's old potions. Suddenly, he's pulled from public school and enrolled in Pennybaker Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, where kids are busy perfecting their chainsaw juggling, unicycling feats, and didgeridoo playing.
Pennybaker is full of spirit thanks to its most beloved teacher: the late, great Helen Heirmauser. The school has even erected a statue of her head on a pedestal. Then, life is uprooted when the statue goes missing -- and everyone thinks Thomas is behind its disappearance. Now his head is on the line. As his new friends turn on him, Thomas finds himself pairing up with the only person who will associate with him: his oddball next door neighbor Chip Mason. Together they work to hunt down the missing statue . . . only to discover that maybe what they've both needed to find all along was true friendship.
Featuring black-and-white illustrations, this wildly fun first book kicks off a hilarious new middle-grade series from acclaimed author Jennifer Brown.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A knack for magic tricks (and a bit of alchemy) lands sixth-grader Thomas Fallgrout at the Pennybaker Hill Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, where he befriends thespian Wesley, who speaks in many accents and wields a mean spitball-shooting straw. Thomas is excited to be part of the school's annual spitball war and is even named captain of the boys' team, but when the bust of a beloved teacher goes missing, the theft takes center stage and everyone believes that Thomas took it. The only ones willing to help Thomas prove his innocence are his sister, Erma, and Chip, a weird neighbor Thomas generally tries to avoid. Brown (How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me from Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel) delivers a well-plotted mystery in this series opener, with plenty of red herrings and a satisfying resolution. But it's the quirky humor and wild characters, such as Thomas's skateboard- and motorcycle-riding Grandma Jo, that will stick with readers. Kissi's lively b&w spot illustrations, not all seen by PW, help bring this exuberant story to life. Ages 8 12.
