Customer Reviews

The Last Holiday Concert

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The events of "The Last Holiday Concert" begin with a boy flinging rubber bands during a choir practice which he considers to be incredibly boring. Irritated at this childish behavior and upset because his position will soon be eliminated, the instructor decides he's had enough. When very little disciplinary action is taken against the student, he lays down a challenge --- organizing the upcoming holiday concert will be all up to the students and he's stepping out of the matter entirely.

The boy who flung the rubber bands quickly takes charge, feeling that he could manage things much better than what the teacher had been doing. He soon finds that matters aren't as simple as he thought and that without guidance, things are getting out of control. But with help, he and the class find themselves on the way to a holiday concert that will be one everyone in attendance will remember.

Those who have read many of Clement's past works will find that things go rather differently in this one than in some of his other stories. That's good thing and the ending of this book leaves a lot to think about.

(This review first appeared in the "Ephrata (Pa.) Review.")

Clements possesses the unsettling ability to throw readers smack dab into the rebellious chaos that is called middle school. In this story, readers are "caught" up in a sixth-grade chorus. The music teacher, upset that his job has been cut in a selective "reduction in work force" and angry with some students' antics, turns over the holiday concert's production to the students.

The class elects as its director popular Hart Evans, who dislikes chorus and who has already gotten into hot water with Mr. Meinert. As Hart learns how to manage his fractious peers, Mr. Meinert sees that allowing students to create their own unique production may be more important than musical perfection.

One strand of this lively story illuminates the relationship between freedom (democracy) and peace, the messy self-interested "lobbying" and eventual compromise that makes for peace-even in the sixth-grade classroom. After all, peace is the hope of the holiday season.

Andrew Clements creates multi-faceted characters with all the foilbles and frailties of real human beings, which is what makes them interesting. Hart Evans starts out as a smart-alecky kid intent on doing the minimum required of him. When his exasperated and soon-to-be unemployed chorus teacher, Mr. Meinert, decides to put Hart in charge of the school's holiday concert while taking a break, everyone is in for some rough times. This book takes an editorial stance against budget cuts for the arts in schools but doesn't get preachy. The ending is not a surprise; after all, this is an Andrew Clements book. But, the process through which the characters develop leadership, teamwork, and creativity is a wonder.

Mr. Meinert's job was about to end. He was the sixth grade chorus director. Hart Evans, a student, shot a rubber band at Mr. Meinert but he didn't mean to. All he was trying to do is get attention by shooting a rubber band to the ceiling. Hart thought chorus was boring. Mr. Meinert got fed up with bad behavior. He put the kids in charge of the upcoming concert. The concert was going to be a holiday concert. They had an election to see who would be in charge of the concert. The students could pick anybody in the room. Hart Evans was chosen. It was a rough start. There was a big variety of performance ideas to choose from. They had to vote again for what they were going to do for the concert. They finally picked. They did some pretty interesting performances!

My thoughts on the book: It is interesting and funny. I liked the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Brittany, age 11, Raleigh, NC

I recomend The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements because it is a very interesting book. It is not just a book for music lovers. It is also for people that like the thought of kids taking charge and the teacher who's name is Mr.Meinert lay back and relax. You will see what happens when a popular kid get in trouble and the teacher goes crazy. Hart Evens the popular guy at school starts running the choir and it is disastrous. But can a little Winterhope and peace guide him to brilliance? The genre is Fiction and I think that you will really like it. I enjoied it very much I thought that it was a fantastic book.

This book was pretty good,I liked it.Hart Evans was the coolest kid in sixth grade. He had a challenge that was to run the holiday concert,because he thought he would be better then the teacher would be.It tells that hart found out that he couldn't do it all be himself. But, bye the end of the book he pulled it all together and had the best holiday concert ever.Hart was happy untell he found out that his teacher Mr.Meinert was layed off,because the school didn't have enough money to pay for a music or a art teacher.

What if you had to direct a whole choir concert by your self? What would you do? Find out in The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. This story is about a boy named Hart Evens. Hart (as everyone calls him) is the most popular guy around.He has a great family (besides his sister),wonderful friends, and a great school. What more could he want right? Well when his school budgetgoes down the drain, some of the teachers have to be let go. One just happens to be his chior teacher. But he gets a little mad one day and makes all his students come up with how to make there concert and Hart just happenes to be in charge! I wish Andrew Clements Would make a second book, but that's up to him. I wouldn't want to change anything about this book because I love it so much.My favorite thing about the book was the concertat the end, but you'll have to read the book to find out what happens.This is his best book so far!I would recomend this book for 5th and 6thgraders.If you love Frindle you'll love this one too.

By, Rachel L.

I love any book by Andrew Clements, but this might be one of my favorites. In this book, a boy named Hart Evans gets into trouble with his Chorus teacher for shooting a rubber band. The next thing that he knows, HE is the Chorus director and he has to plan the next holiday concert all by himself! This book was a little unrealistic, but that made it even better. And the holiday concert in the end turns out great- I wish that we could have one like that at my school! I would get this book, especially if you are already an Andrew Clements fan.

David Meinert is the chorus director at Palmer Intermediate School. Hart Evans is the bored student who snaps a rubber band at him one day, hitting him in the neck. Already out of sorts, having just learned that his job was about to be eliminated due to budget cuts, Mr. Meinert snaps and tells the students that he's leaving the annual holiday concert in their hands. It's going to be up to them to plan and prepare - to sink or swim.

When his classmates choose Hart as their new chorus director, everyone is in for a surprise. Hart manages to get his classmates to work together to plan a concert like no other, despite no small amount of conflict and mutiny along the way. As Hart hones his natural talent for leadership, he and Mr. Meinert gradually learn to respect each other.

"The Last Holiday Concert" isn't my favorite Andrew Clements book, but it is a solid and enjoyable novel. Clements clearly believes that ordinary people can do great things, and his novels are not only entertaining but wise and inspirational. I've never known another children's author to have such equal respect for and understanding of teachers and students alike. Typical of Clements's teachers, Mr. Meinert is idealistic yet fallible, and readers will regard him with almost as much sympathy and interest as they do Hart. Surely no author but Clements could get away with including in a children's book a conversation between a teacher and a principal on the subject of budget cuts, but Clements has never shied away from exposing his young readers to serious and mature ideas.

Readers looking for a wise and funny story should gravitate to Andrew Clements, and in "The Last Holiday Concert" his talents are very much on display. This is solid entertainment for the middle grades.

I really enjoyed this story!! Hart Evans is a very popular sixth grade student at Palmer Intermediate. One afternoon he found himself landed in the principal's office after deciding to launch rubber bands at Mr. Meinert, the chorus director. After some convincing, the principal decided on a light punishment for Hart. This angered Mr. Meinert and therefore led to his decision to turn the Holiday concert planning over to his students. After all, Mr. Meinert had nothing to lose; his position would be terminated after the holiday break due to budget cuts.
Hart was chosen as the student leader and would spend the next several weeks attempting to direct the holiday concert. You will have to read this page turner to discover how the concert turns out. Although, I can tell you that it is full of surprises and emotion.