Horribly Haunted School Pb [Paperback]

Margaret Mahy (Author)

Book Description

Mrs Merryandrew is worried about her son and sends him off to the Brinsley Codd School for Sensible Thought, to get all the ideas of ghosts out of his mind. But the school is haunted too, by the most sensible person in history. Monty has to solve many problems before he can return home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mahy (The Greatest Show Off Earth) again whips up a delectable brew of the almost-credible and the outright fantastic, laced with wryly understated dialogue and droll, Monty Python-esque ingredients. The?perhaps coincidentally named?hero is Monty Merryandrew, a lad whose father is a "government philosopher" employed by the Department of National Despair and whose mother is a jigsaw puzzle whiz able to assemble stretches of cloudless blue sky at the rate of 100 pieces a minute. Though preoccupied with winning the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, she takes action when Monty confides that he has been playing with a ghost who has for years been haunting the rusted old car in the far corner of their garden. Monty finds himself enrolled at the Brinsley Codd School for Sensible Thought, which, of course, proves far from sensible. Jolly good fun ensues after the ghost of long-deceased Brinsley Codd descends from his portrait and beseeches Monty to track down three former students (the ghost fears he has ruined their lives by refusing to cane them when they misbehaved). Adept at puzzles herself, Mahy snugly fits all the pieces of her plot together in an ending that gives the eccentric characters reason to celebrate. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-An enjoyable and entertaining novel with a touch of the supernatural. Ghosts make Monty sneeze, at least as long as they are invisible. His worried mother, who does not believe in his allergy, enrolls him in the Brinsley Codd School for Sensible Thought. On his first day there, Monty has a severe sneezing attack that is only cured by the appearance of the ghost of Brinsley Codd. The apparition is not only searching for the 800-page manuscript of his novel, but is also worried that by not caning discipline problems when he was principal, he has ruined the lives of several former students. Monty agrees to search for the three now middle-aged pupils to discover what kind of adults they have become. With the added problems of helping his mother come up with a free-form puzzle for the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championship and dealing with a teacher who dislikes him intensely, the boy has his hands full. This book is quick-paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns. The comical characters and well-constructed plot combine for a fun read. Amusing, black-and-white line drawings add to the lighthearted mood. Readers who enjoy Betty Ren Wright's stories will find this a humorous change of pace.
Janet Hilbun, Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140385010
• ISBN-13: 978-0140385014
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,930,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding children's writers today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of An Order of New Zealand, the highest honor a citizen can receive. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Madcap Misadventures Masterminded By Margaret Mahy, May 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Horribly Haunted School (Hardcover)

Recipe for delightful middle grade novel: Mix a couple of ghosts, a Jigaw Puzzle championship, a school that teaches the tenets of Common Sense, an honest used-car salesman, and an 800-page novel that vanished during the Great Toasted Cheese Disaster. Sprinkle with verbal wordplay. Add a brisk pace and plenty of laughs. Wait until the last moment to garnish with surprise (but satisfying) ending. Sure to be a favorite among young readers - who may even want a second helping.