No More Nasty [Hardcover]

Amy MacDonald (Author), Cat Bowman Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

A wild and funny celebration of individuality!

Eleven-year-old Simon is mortified to discover that his eccentric Aunt Mattie -- with her mismatched shoes, huge flowered hat, and incorrigibly rude parrot, Runcible (whose favorite phrase is "Shut up, please!) -- is the new substitute teacher for his fifth-grade class. Before long Aunt Mattie turns the whole school on its ear with her irreverent ways and teaches Simon's class of "misfits" that they're smarter than they think they are! Who else could have created the prize-winning Mighty Muculent Egg-Breaking and Breakfast-Making Morning-Waking Machine?

Dozens of witty illustrations add to the fun in this hilarious sequel to No More Nice. Here's a book that will have young readers looking at school -- and themselves -- in a whole new way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Great-Aunt Matilda, Simon's guardian from No More Nice, is back in No More Nasty by Amy MacDonald, illus. by Cat Bowman Smith only this time she is the new substitute in Simon's fifth-grade class. The hero and his classmates are in for a surprise as their classroom is turned upside down and her cockeyed view makes learning fun.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-In this sequel to No More Nice (Orchard, 1996), Simon is used to the kids in the classroom making fun of their mean teacher. However, when she quits and is replaced by his Great-Aunt Matilda, he is left with a dilemma. To the fifth grader, she is both his beloved aunt and an extremely embarrassing figure. He is not ready to acknowledge their relationship even though this leads his classmates to believe that he is a teacher's pet. To them, Mrs. Maxwell deserves the same tricks that they have pulled on all the subs, even though she seems to see through their antics. To the staff, she is an irritant who doesn't show respect for their authority and rules. By the time that she is through with the class, the students will never be the same. Mrs. Maxwell is a colorful figure reminiscent of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle with a better vocabulary and less respect for standard school practices. Simon's reticence to claim his outlandish relative is understandable and makes his efforts to apologize to her for his slight more sincere. The delightful black-and-white illustrations highlight moments of the humorous plot, which readers will enjoy as a read-aloud or read-alone.

Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 171 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (August 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374355290
• ISBN-13: 978-0374355296
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,592,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No More Nasty is Great!, August 8, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: No More Nasty (Hardcover)

I originally chose to read No More Nasty because it was the first book available to me from my summer reading list. I didn't expect much. Once I started reading it, I realized that it was not a chore but quite enjoyable. The main character Simon is sitting in his classroom waiting for school to start. He finds out that his teacher is not coming and they will be having a substitute. He gets quite a surprise when the substitute turns out to be his great aunt Mattie. He really likes aunt Mattie but she is a little(or alot) different. She doesn't behave like other teachers. The other kids in the class make fun of Mattie and Simon doesn't want them to make fun of him for liking her. I liked the way it ends. In fact, I read the book No More Nice that came before No More Nasty to find out more about his adventures with Aunt Mattie. That was just as good! This is an exellent series of books. I hope there will be more stories about Simon and Aunt Mattie to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars that's no fruitcake, thats a teacher!, January 29, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: No More Nasty (Hardcover)

No More Nasty is about Simon, a natural wiz-kid. But his teacher stinks! She makes fun of kids and humiliates them. But Simon's world is turned upside-down when his great aunt Mattie replaces her. He is ashamed he even knows her. Her shoes never match, she talks funny and smells like a farm. She has a strangely polite talking parrot, and she even thinks being late makes things interesting.
It doesn't help that the other kids think she is a fruitcake. Even the assistant principal doesn't like her because she was rude to him. She wants her and the principal out of the school so he can run the school his way. But aunt Mattie won't let that happen. She finds a way to make teaching fun and is attempting to help her class win the science fair. I think this book is good for kids ages 8-14. It has a great beginning that hooks you and won't let you go until the end. Amy Macdonald is a wonderful writer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give it six stars, I would!, August 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: No More Nasty (Hardcover)

NO MORE NASTY is just as funny and warm as its predecessor, NO MORE NICE. Aunt Mattie is a marvelous creation, the aunt we all wish we could have grown up with. I hope we'll see more from this generous writer. This book will make a perfect gift for the child (or aunt) in your life who loves to laugh and appreciates good writing.