Customer Reviews

No More Nasty

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.

Both my son and I read the book and we enjoyed the same. I found it instructive as such it encourages the child to think out of norm, to take chances and avoid Ageism. Moreover children this age are too worried with conformity and being "embarrassed". Well, this most enjoyable book shows them it is OK to stand up for ones beliefs. I bought the last two copies in a discount bookstore and gave them to my friend's children. Too bad you can't find it in regular bookstores!

Simon is the brightest kid in a fifth grade class that's so full of losers the teacher, Mrs. Biggs, takes early retirement and is never heard from again. When Simon sees who the new teacher is, he is mortified -- it's his 74-year-old Aunt Mattie, who greets the students, "How does your corporosity seem to gashiate today?" Well, naturally, after this inauspicious beginning, the students learn to love Aunt Mattie, and naturally she inspires these losers to new heights including a memorable entry in the science fair. What makes this book so much better than most are the fun characterizations and the right-on observations about fifth grade. This is exceptionally well-written and rockets along at a great pace. My 11-year-old maniac reader who usually favors Philip Pullman and Eva Ibbotson just loved it.