A Couple of April Fools (Hamlet Chronicles (Pb)) [Hardcover]

Gregory Maguire (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Hamlet Chronicles (Pb)

It's springtime in Vermont, and strange happenings are afoot in the little town of Hamlet. The students at Joshua Fawcett Elementary School are busily planning their practical jokes for April Fool's Day, but their pranks fall flat when it is discovered that their beloved teacher, Miss Earth, has gone missing.
Has the mysterious creature that's lurking about town and stalking local farm animals made a meal of Miss Earth? Or is Mayor Grass, her esteemed fiancé, responsible? Miss Earth's students know that the clock is ticking and they must find the answer-and their teacher-before it is too late.
True to form, Gregory Maguire has added an uproarious installment to the Hamlet Chronicles, a tale packed with high humor and suspense that also touches on more serious themes of adolescence and family relationships.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–In this sixth installment in the series, the rivalry between the girls' club, the Tattletales, and that of the boys, the Copycats, continues, but their leaders, Thekla Mustard and Sammy Grubb, are not quite as enthusiastic as they were earlier in the year. Before long, Thekla finds herself deposed by an upstart member. When new student and outsider Thud Tweed decides it would be fun to make trouble for Miss Earth, he helps the girls play an April Fool's Day trick on the boys during class, and the teacher puts her foot down. She bans the clubs from school and assigns everyone into girl-boy pairs for the upcoming science fair. Meanwhile, the one remaining Flameburper (a mutant chicken-lizard hatched in the previous book) is growing at a rapid rate and is clearly distressed about something. Could it be the mysterious creature rumored to be lurking around town? Then, Miss Earth disappears, and all rivalries are set aside as the Tattletales and Copycats combine forces to find her. Although the book can stand alone, readers already familiar with the characters and their history will get the most out of it. The tongue-in-cheek humor, brisk pace, and snappy dialogue make for a lively and enjoyable read.–Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. In this sixth installment in the Hamlet Chronicles, an April Fool's Day joke spins out of control, and beloved teacher Miss Earth disappears. Her students, including the faction of boys known as the Copycats, and the girls, who call themselves the Tattletales, set aside their fierce rivalries to unravel the frightening mystery of their missing teacher. Newcomers won't have trouble picking up the plot threads, and series fans will recognize all the familiar characters--among them, the flameburpers, fire-breathing, mutant chicken-lizards who end play a pivotal role in the high jinks. As always, Maguire layers his witty, absurd farce and spot-on portrayal of the social pecking order of middle-graders with larger questions about science, our threatened environment, and the uneasy relationship between species, be they gorillas, flameburpers, or boys and girls. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756951224
• ISBN-13: 978-0756951221
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,005,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gregory Maguire received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979-1985. In 1987 he co-founded Children's Literature New England. He still serves as co-director of CLNE, although that organization has announced its intention to close after its 2006 institute.
The bestselling author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, and the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. Wicked, now a beloved classic, is the basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Maguire has lectured on art, literature, and culture both at home and abroad.
He has three adopted children and is married to painter Andy Newman. He lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Child Will Become an Addict!, May 18, 2004

By 

Tracy Elliott (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Couple of April Fools (Hamlet Chronicles) (Hardcover)

While I enjoy Maguire's novels for adults, I unknowingly caused my 9-year-old daughter to become an addict when I bought "Four Stupid Cupids" off of a Valentine's clearance shelf without taking note of the author. As a result, my daughter
has rapaciously consumed everything age appropriate that Maguire has produced. I am very fortunate to have avoided a battle of wills provoked by covetous glances at my copy of "Wicked" with the release of "A Couple of April Fools". My daughter can't put it down!