The King of the Class

Sheree Haughian is a teacher-librarian in Orangeville, Ontario.

Imagine the frustration of bringing a neon hockey stick to school, only
to have it eclipsed by a model signed by Mario Lemieux! Such is the
anguish of Jonah, a Grade 3 student who yearns to be the king of
show-and-tell. His ambition is thwarted by a new classmate, who has
cornered the market on special objects—and the class’s attention.
Jonah’s personal growth comes with his realization that glory can be
shared and that having friends is more important than being the star.

Easy-to-read novels, essential to any library or classroom collection,
have to meet two criteria: they must contain simple vocabulary and
style, and they must stimulate the interest of children newly initiated
into “chapter books.” Although The King of the Class has not been
given a specific reading level, it seems appropriate for late-primary
readers. Johah’s rivalry with his classmate will strike a chord of
recognition with most readers. However, Grade 3 students may be put off
by the show-and-tell focus of the problem, imagining that such sharing
rituals were left behind in kindergarten. In spite of the educational
dimension the bring-a-toy habit seems to achieve at the end of the
novel, some teachers may have concerns about the dominance of this
activity in a Grade 3 classroom.

Nevertheless, this book exemplifies the problem-and-solution format
that is rudimentary to an understanding of story plot. The materialism
promoted at the beginning of the novel is undercut by the main
character’s change of values. Recommended with reservations.