Middle-School Cool

Gr 4–7—When an experimental new school opens in the town of Horsemouth, several parents are desperate enough to enroll their children in spite of the secretive—and frankly peculiar—vibe given off by the school's headmaster. Kaboom Academy does indeed prove to be highly unconventional, brimming with experimental educational practices in which the children are the guinea pigs. Wacky inventions abound, like autonomous dodgeballs, and a "multiplication table" that is literally a table—one that creates multiple copies of any object placed on top of it, including people. This school is anything but boring, as its student body, made up of misfits who have each been deemed unteachable in one way or another, soon discovers. Prompted by journalism class, the students begin to dig up the school's strange and disturbing secrets. The book's chapters often open with student newspaper articles investigating various odd or mysterious happenings. Among other things, the kids find that their school building used to be a psychiatric facility, and that several of its patients remain as teachers. This amusing and lighthearted story pokes fun at traditional education, while celebrating nonconformity, individuality, and even oddity. It takes the premise that middle school is a crazy experience at baseline, and runs with it. The overall goofiness, as well as the cartoony illustrations, make it a good choice for younger middle schoolers.—Emma Burkhart, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA