Weekends are for spending time with my family, so I think that it is the best time for an Early Reader review that I am excited to share with my kids! Let’s take a look at the 21-book series, My Weird School by Dan Gutman.

• Book 1: Miss Daisy is Crazy!
• Book 2: Mr. Klutz is Nuts!
• Book 3: Mrs. Roopy is Loopy!
• Book 4: Ms. Hannah is Bananas!
• Book 5: Miss Small is Off the Wall!
• Book 6: Myr. Hynde is Out of His Mind!
• Book 7: Mrs. Cooney is Loony!
• Book 8: Ms. LaGrange is Strange!
• Book 9: Miss Lazar is Bizarre!
• Book 10: Mr. Docker is Off His Rocker!
• Book 11: Mrs. Kormel is Not Normal!
• Book 12: Ms. Todd is Odd!
• Book 13: Mrs. Patty is Batty!
• Book 14: Miss Holly is Too Jolly!
• Book 15: Mr. Macky is Wacky!
• Book 16: Ms. Coco is Loco!
• Book 17: Miss Suki is Kooky!
• Book 18: Mrs. Yonkers is Bonkers!
• Book 19: Dr. Carbles is Losing His Marbles!
• Book 20: Mr. Louie is Screwy!
• Book 21: Ms. Krup Cracks Me Up!

The Fun of Being in Second Grade

This chapter book series follows a boy in second grade named A.J. He’s not a fan of school and his teachers are…well they are WEIRD! We also meet his friends, Ryan and Michael, along with his rival, Andrea. Andrea is the “smart girl” who is seen as the opposite of A.J. and elicits the silly “ohhhh she’s your girlfriend” that I see my daughter laughing about in her first grade class. Then there is Emily, who is Andrea’s friend, and is seen as the “cry-baby” of the class. Bad stuff always seems to happen to her that the other kids laugh at but that sends her running off crying.

Each book focuses on a different staff member of the school that A.J. sees as weird. He tries to convince his friends of this, and they embark on missions to either prove him wrong or help save the school. It is silly and I found myself chuckling at the group of friends, especially Book 11, when the new kid comes to town and the bus driver has to pick him up (I laughed a bit too much when I read it!) The books are best read in order, as they do build on each other, but you could read them as a standalone. There are references to the books prior to them in each one.

This is not a book that I would give to my kids to learn from. This is one for them just to enjoy. It was written after the author read a Junie B. Jones book (which my daughter has just discovered) and wanted to write a series from a boy’s point of view. I just ordered the complete Junie B. Jones set to read with my daughter, and I will see if she wants to give The Weird School a try as well. But be warned – there are some dad jokes sprinkled throughout! My favorite is when A.J. discusses a “no-bell” prize!

I do want to point out with my recommendation, that with these types of books, I always pre-read them BEFORE I let my kids read them so that I can address any concerns with them if and when they have questions. Here are some things to be aware about with The Weird School series.

School Life Can Be Difficult

The first thing I noticed were a couple of discrepancy’s that I would love to see if my daughter picks up on (see how close she is paying attention to the details):

• In some of the books, the kids are walking to school, but then for book 11 they are on the school bus to get to school.
• The timing of the books is a bit backwards, as it is Halloween, the holiday’s and then Thanksgiving.

There are some references in the stories that kids today may not understand and they may have questions. There are many references to “a Kodak moment.” There is also discussion of video rentals. Those hurt – I feel old now!

Their are also some references of kids being asked by the staff members to keep secrets from their parents. This I did not like. I understand that it was not meant in a malicious way, but nowadays you just can’t take that chance. This will allow me to reiterate that talk with my kids that no adult should ever ask my kids to keep a secret from me, and if they are told that, then they need to tell me IMMEDIATELY.

Another thing that parent’s may not like is the way A.J. discusses school and adults. He does come across as rude, given he keeps discussing just how “dumb” Miss Daisy is. There is also a major rivalry of A.J. being against Andrea and the discussion of how he’s just mean to her because he likes her. Again – these are discussions I will have with my kids as they are reading this. And thinking a teacher is “dumb”? Well…that can be reality. There are kids who will think that of their teachers or other kids. It’s how they proceed from there that will make the difference.

Follow-Up Reading

If you do like the My Weird School series, there are follow-up series continuing A.J. and his friend’s journey into third grade (and maybe beyond).

• My Weird School Daze (12 books) – I have this series and will be reading them
• My Weirder School (12 books) – I have the majority of this series and will be reading them
• My Weirdest School (12 books)
• My Weirder-est School (currently 5 books)