SCHOOL TROUBLE FOR ANDY RUSSELL

Author (last name first): Adler, David A.

Publisher, Date of Publication: Gulliver/Harcourt 1999

Pages: 118pgs

Grade Level/ or Age Level: 3-6

Classification: Fiction

Andy Russell is a trouble magnate. No matter how hard he tries, trouble seems to seek him out and almost always finds him. Andy doesn't help himself because he neglects his work when he finds it boring. His teacher, Ms. Roman, assigns him extra math homework over the weekend because she catches him daydreaming instead of paying attention during the math lesson. But Andy doesn't do everything he gets blamed for either. When Ms. Roman gets sick, the class gets a substitute. One of Andy's classmates is intent on embarrassing the sub. Andy gets blamed for his antics and is sent to the principal's office with another friend,Stacy Ann. The other student eventually confesses, and Andy and Stacy Ann are allowed to go back to class. The substitute teacher apologizes to Andy for accusing him of something he did not do. Andy's friends stick up for him and try to help him stay out of trouble. Andy spends a lot of time in the world of his imagination instead of the real world. Many young readers will see themselves in Andy- they really want to be good and follow the rules, but the things that happen in their own minds are much more interesting than school. Andy survives his run in with the substitute and learns that even grownups apologize when they make mistakes. Hillenbrand's black and white drawings enhance Adler's realistic tale. SCHOOL TROUBLE FOR ANDY RUSSELL would be an entertaining book for those students- both boys and girls- who can't seem to avoid trouble no matter how hard they try.

Reviewer: Tammy Henderson