Menace and Mischief

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University and the co-author of
Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary Classroom.

The place is Haliburton Junior High. The characters include C.J. and
Raymond, best friends who both have a crush on Julie, an attractive
Grade 7 classmate; three bullies in Grade 9; Hobo the hamster and class
pet of homeroom 7S; and Miss Hiss, a boa constrictor who lives in the
science room. Hobo and Miss Hiss escape their respective cages; the
school bullies target Raymond as a victim; C.J. sends Julie a love
letter on Raymond’s behalf; and Mr. Saunders, an aspiring poet who
teaches English to 7S, loses his best poem.

The plot is highly predictable: the escaped creatures have near
encounters; the intent of the love letter backfires; Wilson, one of the
bullies, goes too far, and Raymond is seriously injured; Wilson gets his
comeuppance; Mr. Saunders’s poem is “found,” although not in a
conventional manner, and he becomes a celebrity because of his writing.
As well as being very predictable, the realism of the book is further
compromised by the inclusion of stereotypical characters and a
“happily ever after” ending. Not recommended.