Miss Breakbone is a teacher. Not a nice teacher. She hates kids, confiscates their stuff and gives herself gold stars for making them cry.
“Never,” shrieked Miss Breakbone, “have I been asked to teach such a scraping-together of fiddling, twiddling, time-squandering, mind-wandering, doodling, dozing, don’t knowing dunderheads!”
When she goes too far one Friday, her students make a plan to get back what was taken. Each kid has a special role to play in this scheme, and all of their unique abilities are showcased.
Why is this on our bookshelf?
Every geek knows that being geeky is really just being passionate about something. The dunderheads are just that. They each have unique talents and passions. They use their talents as a team (sort of) to defy odds and put things right.
Rating (5 stars)
You will be rooting for these kids from the very first page, and laughing at the same time. Miss Breakbone is a perfectly wicked foil, complete with an over-ample figure, jailer keys, scarlet lipstick and a buzz-cut crop of red hair. Each of the dunderheads are winning characters that you want to love, from Theodore, the sweet little scavenger who everyone just calls Junkyard, to Wheels, who put forty-eight extra gears on his bike.
This book is an absolute winner for everyone. It is funny without being crude and the scheme to retrieve their goods is inventive. The kids are truly unique and each ones special talent is a hoot. The full color illustrations are integrated throughout the text, and really animate this story. Recommended for ages 6-10.
Read this book:
with your quirky kid.
Don't Read this book:
If you worry about kids who defy authority. Seriously…these dunderheads are a sneaky, rule-breaking bunch.
Once you're done, do this:
Encourage a kid with a unique “talent.”
