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?
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.
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.
