Customer Reviews

The School Story

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When Natalie Nelson, in sixth grade, writes a novel which her best friend Zoe thinks is the best book she's ever read, the two girls decide to get it published. Natalie's mother is an editor of Shipley Junior Books, but she does not know Natalie has written a book, and the girls do not want special favors from her. Natalie decides to use a pen name, Cassandra Day, for her book, and with Zoe acting as her agent and calling herself Zee Zee Reisman, the girls contact publishers and learn how books are produced, while keeping their ages a secret.

The story uses realistic dialogue between two girls whose personalities are very different--one thoughtful and serious (Natalie/Cassandra), and the other talkative and full of energy (Zoe/ZeeZee)--and as the girls work toward their goal of seeing Natalie's book in print, they learn what makes a good book, the biggest problems with "bad" books, why a literary agent is needed, how publishers connect with authors, the importance of contracts and a lawyer, how editing works, and how publishers create publicity for books.

Twelve-year-old Natalie and Zoe must use all their imagination and energy to solve many adult-sized problems here. As they try to keep Natalie's mother from discovering who Cassandra Day really is, they also learn the value of friendship and loyalty, the importance of being honest, and how to accomplish goals by working hard (with only a little adult help). Natalie and Zoe are lively and natural, and author Andrew Clements gives enough background about their family lives to involve middle-grade readers in their lives--and keep them on the edges of their chairs. A delightful story that will captivate kids--and the adults with whom they may share this story. n Mary Whipple

This book is another great one by Andrew Clements and was chosen as our first summer read for a mother-daughter book club. Twelve-year old Natalie writes a story and her friend Zoe is certain she can get it published. Although Natalie's Mom works as an editor for a publishing story, Zoe wants the book to be published on its own merit. Natalie, who is a remarkable writer, couldn't get the book published without Zoe's determination, cunning, and confidence. As an adult reader, it made me realize how our fears can hold us back and keep us from fulfilling our dreams, in that Zoe showed no fear at all. A great book to demonstrate that talents come in different packages (be it that of a writer, agent or seller) and to encourage both boys and girls to pursue their talents. Neither my 9-year old daughter or I could put this book down.

Andrew Clements is the author of a number of "school stories," so he's writing about something he's well aware of when he tells the tale of a girl who writes her very own school story and sets out how to get it published. Well --- that's not quite right, rather the girl Natalie Nelson (pen-name Cassandra Day) is encouraged to publish the story by her friend, Zoe Riceman (a.k.a. "Zee Zee.") Andrew Clements describes the girls' friendship as "push-and-pull" Natalie has always been a writer, while Zoe is a talker. Further, Zoe is the daughter of an attorney and could possibly be one herself, she's been winning arguments ever since she could talk. At first, Natalie doesn't want to publish her novel, not sure it would succeed, but is slowly brought around to the idea by Zoe.

What follows is a hilarious, but also touching tale of the ins-and-outs of publishing, friendship, and good, hard-work. Readers will laugh at some of the riotous schemes in the book and cheer as progress is made. And they will also find things to relate to in the tale of a daughter, her widowed mother (and editor) and a girls' memories of her father.

Natalie starts to write a book, "The Cheater." Zoe loves the book, and thinks that she can get the book published. The only problem is that Natalie's mom is the only publisher they know. So Zoe thinks up a big plan, and decides to be Natalie's agent, Sherry Clutch. Natalie and their teacher, Ms. Clayton, join in. Natalie decides to have her pen name be Cassandra Day. Will they slip past Natalie's mom, or will she find out?

"School Story" was a great book, almost the best book I've ever read. It has a great plot (I think), and it shows how the girls think and feel. It shows lots of excitement and creativity. The characters have totally different personalities, which makes the book fun. And it is also pretty funny. This is the kind of book that does not need a sequel because the ending finishes perfectly, and locks everything up. It is the kind of book that does not suit some people, because there's not tons of action and fighting, but some people can't stop reading it because they just have to know what happens next. I think most of Andrew Clements books are pretty good, but this is his best book yet.

It doesn't matter to me if this book isn't as thick as a Harry Potter, I don't care. This author{to me} ranks with the highest {example: Hayao Miyazaki}.
The three main resons this is my all time favorite book is:
1. This is about a girl becoming an author, and when I grow up, I wanna be one too.
2. Andrew Clements could make another book out of this one. It's like a book withen a book!!
3. Events in this ccould happen to everyone.
You also learn some stuff in this too!!
Other books this author has written include:
Frindle
The Janitor's Boy
The Landry News {I own this book also}
A cool thing about this book is it has literure questions in the back of it, making it a book teachers might want to think about getting for their students so they could enjoy it!!
So for all these reasons, I would give this book 20 stars.

When 12-year-old Natalie Nelson writes a story called "The Cheater", she shows it to her best friend, Zoe Reisman. Zoe thinks it's too good to just hand it to her L.A. teacher, Ms. Clayton. Zoe thinks it should definitly get published. Natalie's mom, Hannah Nelson is a editor for Shipley Junior Books, so Natalie can easily ask her mom to edit her story, right? Wrong. Her mom's boss, Letha Springfield, is a tough cookie so there's no way Letha is going to tell Hannah Nelson to spend time on editing her daughter's book.

Then Zoe has a brilliant idea: Natalie can publish her book under pen name, with Zoe acting as her agent. At first Natalie isn't sure, but Zoe convinces her. After all, what could it hurt being famous?

At first everything seems it's going to suceed, but complications arrive when Natalie finds out that Letha Springfield is going to edit the story. There's no way that's going to happen. No way...

So read this book!

The School Story by Andrew Clements is a great book. It really says how much kids can do if they try!

Natalie writes a book and her friend Zoe cant bare to see it go to waste. So, they try to get it published. Natalie and Zoe deal with everything from friendship matters to legal matters. In the end, it really pays off!

This book is encouraging to young writers. It is filled with funny and emotional parts. It also has a universal theme. Everyone can enjoy it!

Andrew Clements did really good writing this book. It shows the relationship of two twelve year old girls taking a chance to Publish Natalies Book, and what they have to go through to do so.

'The Cheater' by Cassandra Day is a remarkable new book, and Hannah Nelson, at Shipley Junior Books, is thrilled that she has been given the chance edit it. What she doesn't know is that Cassandra Day--the up-and-coming novelist--and her agent--Zee Zee Reisman--are both twelve-year-old girls! In fact, those two twelve-year-old girls are Hannah's daughter, Natalie Nelson (Using the pen name Cassandra Day) and her best friend, Zoe Reisman. They and their favorite English teacher, Ms. Clayton, have thought up a master plan to get Natalie's book, The Cheater, published. And they aren't giving up, despite many problems that they face along the way, including the fact that they are only twelve.

This a great, Great, GREAT, Truly Great book!!! I just felt that it was a tad unrealistic that a sixth-grader would write a book so wonderful it would have everybody stirred up about it--Every single person who read it exclaiming over how great it was. That was my only complaint about the whole book. My teacher read it to our class a chapter a day and it took forever! I was always tempted to go out and buy the book myself so I could see what happened next! I would reccomend this book to anyone, especially any kid who wants to be an author when they grow up. Or maybe sooner. (Like me)

I can't believe I haven't read Andrew Clements before, but I'm really glad I discovered him now. He's fast becoming one of my favorite middle-grade writers.

Normally I'm drawn to YA and middle-grade fantasy, SF, and mysteries, and those remain my favorites. But lately my ten year old's reading for school has necessitated stepping outside my favorite genre haunts and picking up books on other people's reading lists. I've read and reviewed Clements's THE JANITOR'S BOY, and really enjoyed it. So picking up THE SCHOOL STORY was actually a no-brainer at that part.

I knew from my previous experience with Clements that he could hold his own emotionally in a story. I knew I'd like the characters and that they would have problems I could relate to.

What I didn't expect was the education about the world of writing and publishing that is so much a part of this wonderful story. I know kids are interested in just about everything these days, but I didn't know they would have been curious at all as to how a book gets bought, published, and advertised.

Clements does all these things in an interesting manner. Not only that, but he makes those facets of publishing a big part of the novel. Each one of those steps of getting a book to a publisher, into the hands of the right editor, and into reader awareness becomes a stumbling block for our three intrepid heroines.

Natalie Nelson is the writer. Her dad tragically died and she was really close to him. She wrote her book, called The Cheater partially in his memory, because she didn't want to forget about him. And because she knows her mom, Hannah, is struggling with everything as well. She pours out her heart onto the pages and wins the support and enthusiastic belief from Zoe Reisman. Natalie wants her mom, an editor at a book publisher, to publish her book, but doesn't want any special favors. So she invents a pseudonym to write under.

Zoe is the go-getter of the group. Her dad's a lawyer and has always told her she could do anything. So she sets out to see if that's true. She reinvents herself as an agent (after finding out what agents do), gives herself a pseudonym as well, declaring herself to be Zee Zee Reisman, of the Sherry Clutch Literary Agency (an agency she also invents and rents an office for), and goes to work making everything happen for Natalie.

Along the way, the girls become convinced they need to have an adult help them. They choose their young English teacher, Ms. Clayton, who is new to teaching and still unsure of exactly where her responsibilities lie in her chosen profession. One of Clements's greatest skills as a middle-grade reader is his ability to write from the adult perspective in a way that doesn't bore the younger readers or talk down to them.

The readers are elevated to the same level as the adult characters, and the adult problems are stripped of age, sex, and other modifiers that prohibit understanding by younger and less experienced readers. Ultimately in Clements's view of the adult world, problems still confront characters who can affect them, but the question remains, should they? I agree with this philosophy, and it's something that kids understand in a heartbeat.

This is a great book about friendship between kids and between kids and adults. Everything fits together nicely in the end, which makes it more fictional than the real world, but the book delivered exactly what it set out to do.

At the end of reading it together, my son said that he believes the book should be turned into a movie because he could see everything happening. I tend to agree. But don't wait for the movie. Read this splendid book while you're waiting.