Boy Who Owned the School (Yearling Books) [Paperback]

Gary Paulsen (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group (April 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440802377
• ISBN-13: 978-0440802372
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,951,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newberry Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious., February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Boy Who Owned The School (Hardcover)

I read this book in seventh grade, when I hated school and other people just like Jacob did, and thought it was one of the funniest books I'd ever seen. The part where the fog machine overheats had me in tears, I was laughing so hard. It was nice to read a book about an outcast who didn't wallow in self-pity and turn into one of those teenage trauma heroes. I would much rather read about a smart loser with a good sense of humor and an exploding fog machine than a *whining* loser. Shows there's some hope for us all in the world. (Especially in theater and stagecraft.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good comedy book by Gary Paulsen, October 24, 2000

By 

jasenao (Dothan, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy Who Owned The School (Hardcover)

Gary Paulsen is mainly known for writing great adventure and survival books, but he shows with "The Boy Who Owned The School" that he can also write good comedy books while also telling a good story. It's about a boy named Jacob that tries to avoid the jocks and do what he can to keep from being noticed while he's in school. While I was reading the book, it reminded me a lot of how I was when I was in junior high school. The whole time he likes the best looking and one of the most popular girls in the school, Maria. He finds out that in order to have a chance to pass English he has to be a part of a school play, and Maria is in it.

"The Boy Who Owned The School" is a great book. It's interesting and it has a lot of parts that will make you laugh. If you like good books, I recommend getting this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hatchet was miles better, January 2, 2005

By 

Matt Hetling "Matt" (Bethel, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy Who Owned The School (Paperback)

Jacob is the high school student that we all remember, and sympathize with to some extent: the social misfit who is beneath the quirky geek clique; a kid who is so socially inept that he never speaks to anyone, and indeed spends most of his time and energy figuring out how to avoid conversation altogether.

The book follows Jacob as he maneuvers his way through a distant home life and a harrowing school life. One of the most beautiful girls in school takes note of him when he is assigned to operate the fog machine in the school play, but he is so smitten with her that his usual social awkwardness devolves into a tongue-tied panic.

The Good and the Bad:

I liked the character of Jacob, and I certainly remember a student or two in school who he reminds me of. The book does a good job of fleshing out that anonymous character, and giving us reasons that contribute to that type of personality. The writing is also engaging and fun, with funny descriptive metaphors that are sure to capture the imagination of many children. But I rate the book fairly low because it is presented as a realistic story, but many of the scenes are so unrealistic as to seem surreal, or at least borrowed from a low-budget made-for-tv comedy about the horrors of high school (thought the characters seemed more junior-highish to me). For example, when Jacob accidentally stumbles into a school bully, the bully promptly stuffs him into a locker without so much as a word. There are no pop culture references, no shades of nuance in most of the characters, and a series of stereotypes about the jocks who seem to make up the majority of Jacob's classmates. Also straining belief was Jacob's over-the-top clumsiness, which often left him sprawling around like a clown in front of a crowd of peers. Nevertheless, the book is a quick and enjoyable read, and may give students a moment of reflection about their near-invisible classmates. The socially awkward student himself, however, is not likely to gain much in the way of constructive advice, as the solution to Jacob's problems lie in the persistence of a beautiful girl who is willing to put aside all of the social hierarchy because she wants to date Jacob.