|
Reviews for I PUT A SPELL ON YOU Ms. Yingling Reads"It is the rare author whose books I will purchase without reading, but Adam Selzer tops the list. There is something pitch-perfect about his characters and his humor that invariably has me laughing until tears stream down my face. His newest is no exception..." ITS"One of the funniest boks I have read in a long time....This is a truly great read-aloud book for grades 3-6. Mrs. Hill's Book Blog "Another unique and hilarious tale from Adam Seler....highly recommended! FROM THE BULLETIN OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: "Selzer manages to make his comedy both grade school wacky and entertainingly satiric....the characters are suprisingly well developed...With the middle-school accessibility of Andrew Clements, the freewheeling humor of Gordon Korman, and a witty charm all its own, this will appeal to any youngster who appreciates a bit of adult-overthrowing mayhem, regardless of their ability to splel. click for full review. FROM THE HORN BOOK: When Gordon Liddy Community School's resident tattletale-detective, Chrissie Woodward, realizes that the adults are out to fix the big spelling bee, she transfers her loyalty to her fellow students and starts collecting evidence. The chapters, told from rotating perspectives, are presented mainly as testimony gathered from the students, each of whom is distinct and breaks stereotype (such as the boy who will eat anything for a dollar, but only in hopes of discovering new taste combinations that will further his future career as a chef). New arrival Mutual Scrivener, attending school for the first time to participate in the spelling bee, retains a sweet naiveté as he tries to decode the mysterious behavior of his fellow classmates, and his outsider perspective provides humor but also some interesting insights. The wit in this school story is directed almost entirely against the grownups in a scathingly funny indictment of a shady principal and insanely competitive parents. Sly references to a famous case of misused authority may lead readers to look up the Watergate scandal, but even if they never catch on to some of the jokes, they will still laugh out loud as the students band together to fight corruption and triumph in their own ways. s.d.l. FROM THE HAPPY NAPPY BOOKSELLER: "I absolutely loved I Put a Spell On You. I lost a few hours sleep finishing this novel...but it was totally worth it."Full review FROM KIRKUS Alternating voices relate this farcical mystery. The spelling bee is coming up at Gordon Liddy Community School, and everyone has lost perspective. Former school tattletale Chrissie Woodward is the only one in her grade not to sign up for the bee. The parents are behaving far worse than the participants, and it is clear to Chrissie that the principal is trying to sabotage certain students in order to fix the results. Selzer tells the story through Chrissie's detective reports as well as the written notes that several kids give her. Because she has been such a goody two-shoes as school monitor, she has access to interoffice memos, which also become part of the narrative. Each chapter starts with a spelling word, followed by its definition and ironic use in a sentence. Suspension of disbelief is definitely in order here, but reluctant readers may enjoy the pranks and belching jokes, as well as the general portrayal of adults as overachievement-obsessed lunatics. Dedicated to Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and Mark Felt, Chrissie's fellows in investigative reporting. (Fiction. 8-12)
|
| 
CONTACT: Adam Selzer AIM: AdamSelzer236 Be a Fan on Facebook!  |
