Alone In His Teacher's House (Marvin Redpost 4, paper) (Paperback)

by Louis Sachar (Author), Barbara Sullivan (Illustrator) "You will have a substitute teacher tomorrow," Mrs. North told her third-grade class..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Hillway, Marvin Redpost, Patsy Gatsby

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. The latest easy chapter book about Marvin starts off with the usual hilarious comedy. Marvin's teacher asks him to care for her aging dog, Waldo, while she's away for a week, and she gives Marvin the key to her house. First, there's the shock of seeing his teacher with a life outside the classroom ("Mrs. North was almost like a real person"). All his classmates envy him. He tries to act mature and responsible, not allowing his friends in Mrs. North's house, walking Waldo, coaxing Waldo to eat, even eating the dog food himself to make sure it's all right. But Waldo won't eat, and the story takes a surprising turn when the dog dies. Marvin must cope with his feelings of guilt and sadness and with his isolation as the kids at school and the substitute teacher turn on him. The farcical cover showing an embarrassed Marvin in his teacher's clothes closet is totally misleading. However, readers will relate to the tension and reversal in the story. They'll recognize Marvin's feelings, both the humor of having to confront your teacher as a person and the sorrow at the death of a beloved pet. Hazel Rochman --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Review
This title will lure the most reluctant readers, who will be as glad to make Marvin's acquaintance as his old fans will be to greet a new adventure."--Bulletin, Center for Children's Books.   -- Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (March 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679819495
• ISBN-13: 978-0679819493
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #165,763 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Early Reader Series > Marvin Redpost
  #12 in	Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Sachar, Louis
  #13 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Pet Death

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book for the Everyday Kid, May 7, 2003

By	catPerson93 (California) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book after reading Sachar's "Holes" to my elementary aged kids, and I was very pleased with the content. In this book, Sachar allows his readers to see life from the perspective of a regular, everyday kid -- and reading it inspired a "what-would-you-do-in-that-situation" dialogue with my own regular, everyday kids. I truly appreciated seeing a young person in this age range (the 3rd grade-ish Marvin Redpost) portrayed as having a conscious, a sense of responsibility, and the awareness to have compassion for others. Marvin is faced with a pretty grown-up sized situation concerning a beloved pet, and I think it's handled with grace and tenderness. I was pleased to see my children feeling compassion for this character, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Marvin's adventures to my own kids.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alone in His Teacher's House, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher's House (School & Library Binding)

Marvin Redpost-Alone in His Teacher's House was a fantasticbook! It could show readers to be responsible for your own pet. youcould learn how to be brave just like Marvin. Marvin was so brave that he took the risk to talk to his teacher. When Marvin saw Mrs. North's dog laying under her bed, he didn't know what to do about it. He even said to his self to do something! This book had a lot of surprising pictures and Louis Sachar is a really good author. I am in Third Grade and I like this book. I hope you like it too!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvin Redpost Rules with one SPED teacher, October 21, 2001

By	Karen Korwin-kuczynski "Karen in MN" (Nisswa, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Marvin Redpost series has been an incredible, literature-based reading program for one of my students! This student has autism.
Each book has the same cast of characters.
The characters are believable and real to many students experiences.
The emotions of the books are understood by students. This is a real achievement for a student with autism!
There are some illustrations.
The books are chapter books but not overwhelming.

This particular book allowed me to witness something I'm celebrating:

My student with autism tried to "read ahead" in this book.
We literally had to hide the book to get him back to his other classes. This is really incredible!

Thank you Louis Sachar!
You are helping one very special student get "hooked on reading!"