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newdayvow's review
3.0
The way this book treats divorce feels very outdated, but I would still recommend it for the 8-10 year old in your life, especially if they're into newspapers and/or the first amendment. Are there 10 year olds who are into the first amendment? Probably some who have read this book!
thewallflower00's review
2.0
It was on a list of summer reading for my fourth-grade daughter. Plus, I used to write an “underground” newspaper, so I couldn’t pass this up.
But it reads like it was meant to be used for curriculum. It reeks of “written to be taught”, not because the author had something to say or a good story in mind. I deduce this because it’s padded badly. The beginning doesn’t match the ending–it switches themes partway through. After about a third of the way, it stops being about the student-published newspaper and becomes about the “evil principal” trying to “get” the teacher. And then the news story he hides behind is reprinted word for word in the book. And it has nothing to do with either idea. Its content is about a kid’s divorce. It has nothing to do with the themes of the main plot. I don’t know what its meant for. I think it’s trying to cover different themes at once so there’s plenty for the class to discuss.
The inciting incident is also too implausible — I cannot believe that at teacher would sit at his desk for eight hours a day, reading the paper, while the kids futz in the classroom semi-supervised and not being taught. From 7AM to 3PM. Teachers have been fired for less, tenure or not.
It’s so instructive I expected there to be a study guide in the back. Just skip this one.
But it reads like it was meant to be used for curriculum. It reeks of “written to be taught”, not because the author had something to say or a good story in mind. I deduce this because it’s padded badly. The beginning doesn’t match the ending–it switches themes partway through. After about a third of the way, it stops being about the student-published newspaper and becomes about the “evil principal” trying to “get” the teacher. And then the news story he hides behind is reprinted word for word in the book. And it has nothing to do with either idea. Its content is about a kid’s divorce. It has nothing to do with the themes of the main plot. I don’t know what its meant for. I think it’s trying to cover different themes at once so there’s plenty for the class to discuss.
The inciting incident is also too implausible — I cannot believe that at teacher would sit at his desk for eight hours a day, reading the paper, while the kids futz in the classroom semi-supervised and not being taught. From 7AM to 3PM. Teachers have been fired for less, tenure or not.
It’s so instructive I expected there to be a study guide in the back. Just skip this one.
hmbb99's review
4.0
A nice children's book, that tackles the First Amendment and censorship in an engaging way, is a nice quick read.
8bluebutterfly8's review
3.0
I really like all of Andrew Clements' books. I wish something this exciting had happened at my school. Cara is so smart and it was nice to see that she was actually able to make such a big difference in her teachers life. It was interesting to see the perspective of her as well as her teacher.
quetzalquill's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
It's remarkable how the themes of this book from over 25 years ago are still relevant today: questions of freedom of information and expression in schools. In 1999, the taboo topic of moral panic was divorce; today it's queerness and transness. This is a heartfelt story about students and teachers working together to stand up to administrators.
sandraagee's review
4.0
As usual, another fun school story by Andrew Clements.
Listened to this one on audio. Didn't care for the narrator. Too many of her sentances ended with question marks?
Listened to this one on audio. Didn't care for the narrator. Too many of her sentances ended with question marks?
benisatree6177's review
4.0
I enjoyed The Landry News by Andrew Clements. When new student Cara Landry goes to her new school she is not noticed by her peers. That changes when she writes a school paper that talks about how her assigned teacher, Mr. Larson, is barely teaching at all. Her teacher is very mad but then turns supportive of her paper and turns it into a learning opportunity for everyone. Her classmates get involved and soon they are all working together to make the paper bigger and better than ever before. After a controversial article is published, her teacher is in hot water with the principal who is threatening his job. This again turns into another learning experience about the first amendment. The community and school are in support of her teacher and the newspaper carries on.
The book was good but I feel as if some parts were not very realistic. Such as how Mr. Larson has no structure in his classroom yet he has still been a teacher for many years. But, the author still made this book very enjoyable with his unique writing style. I have read several of his other books as well and they all have been quite interesting. The book is not super long but he still manages to add in quite the amount of details. He also covered the topic of divorce which would be relatable to many kids around the globe.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys quick reads. It was easy to follow and the characters were relatable. The book was enjoyable to read and not too hard or too easy/short to read. It was not predictable and had several plot twists. I liked the happy ending as they were still printing the paper. Some other reasons that I think that people should read this book are stated in the paragraph above. Overall I think that you should read this book.
The book was good but I feel as if some parts were not very realistic. Such as how Mr. Larson has no structure in his classroom yet he has still been a teacher for many years. But, the author still made this book very enjoyable with his unique writing style. I have read several of his other books as well and they all have been quite interesting. The book is not super long but he still manages to add in quite the amount of details. He also covered the topic of divorce which would be relatable to many kids around the globe.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys quick reads. It was easy to follow and the characters were relatable. The book was enjoyable to read and not too hard or too easy/short to read. It was not predictable and had several plot twists. I liked the happy ending as they were still printing the paper. Some other reasons that I think that people should read this book are stated in the paragraph above. Overall I think that you should read this book.