• Home
  • Popular Series
  • About Us
    • FAQs
  • Author Interviews
  • Contact
    • Review Requests
    • Advertising
  • Home
  • Popular Series
  • About Us
    • FAQs
  • Author Interviews
  • Contact
    • Review Requests
    • Advertising
Kid Book Reviewer

home

The Runaway Schoolhouse

1/29/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
Reviewed by Olivia (with the help of Oscar)

Rating: High Five

Who We'd Recommend to: Fans of sweet, simple stories with beautiful messages.

Synopsis (from Amazon):
Clearie, a one-hundred-year-old schoolhouse, is fed-up. For so long, he has helped children get educated but been rewarded only by their complaints about how much they hate school. He longs to get away. His dream is to go to France, a country he has heard so much about in geography lessons over the years - but how could a schoolhouse possibly travel? Eventually he comes up with a plan and enlists the help of two students, the Buggy twins; but not everything works out as he had hoped.
With an attic full of crazy crabs, led by the fearless Lancelot, his journey is less than enjoyable and, in his absence, the school system falls apart. Will Clearie's dreams come true and the children get their wish for schooldays to end forever? Or has everyone bitten off more than they can chew?

Thoughts: I honestly was not expecting to like THE RUNAWAY SCHOOLHOUSE as much as I did. Although this chapter book is obviously targeted toward an age range much younger than what I'm used to reading, I didn't find it too simple or not sophisticated enough for my tastes. Set in Ireland, I loved the sweet message THE RUNAWAY SCHOOLHOUSE contained. Maria Matthews's writing brought charm to the story, while still being able to relate easily to younger kids. The plot was nicely laid out, making this story meaningful yet simultaneously humorous, something kids will enjoy. (Oscar particularly enjoyed the scenes with Lancelot the crab!). 

Character-wise, John and Sara, the Buggy twins, were fantastic. As far as personality goes, between the two twins they hit both ends of the spectrum, so THE RUNAWAY SCHOOLHOUSE appeals to all young readers, no matter the gender or personality. This makes this a perfect book for classrooms. John brought a lot of humor and character to the story, while Sara's sweet, upstander personality will have readers looking up to her as a role model. Clearie, the schoolhouse, was also great. Younger readers will love reading a story from the POV of a schoolhouse, since they (as well as I) have undoubtably never come across a narrator like this before. 

Filled with charm, meaningful themes, and lovable characters, THE RUNAWAY SCHOOLHOUSE makes for a perfect classroom story.

DISCLOSURE: We received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are our own.
Buy The Runaway Schoolhouse
2 Comments
Maria Matthews link
1/29/2017 09:46:05 am

Thank you both for taking the time to read and review my book. Getting such a strong review from your age group encourages me to keep writing.

Reply
Olivia and Oscar @KBR
1/29/2017 04:39:09 pm

Thank you!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Kid Book Reviewers

    Hey there! We're Olivia (15) and Oscar (12), brother and sister, and we both have a giant love of books. 

    ​Find us on...

    Amazon and Goodreads

    Picture

    Subscribe

    Popular Reviews

    • Winter (the Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer 
    • Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
    • An Author's Odyssey (Land of Stories #5) by Chris Colfer
    • The Hatchet by Brian Paulson
    • Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
    • The Ugly Teapot by Fred Holmes
    • The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

    Categories

    All
    10 And Under
    Adventure
    AGes 12 14
    AGes 12-14
    Ages 6 And 7
    Ages 8 12
    Ages 8-12
    Animals
    Beautifully Illustrated
    Beautifully Written
    Comic Book
    Dystopia
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Fractured Fairy Tales
    Fun
    Funny
    Great Character
    Historical Fiction
    Mystery
    Myths
    Poetry
    Read W/ Parent's Permission
    Realistic Fiction
    Recommendation Of The Week
    Science
    Science Fiction
    Similar To Harry Potter
    Sweet Sixteen
    Thought Provoking
    True Story


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.