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A review by fallingletters
Homerooms and Hall Passes by Tom O'Donnell
4.0
Review originally published 3 April 2020 at Falling Letters.
I thought Homeroom & Hall Passes's premise sounded hilarious and unique. My initial concern was that it would be over-the-top silly, but it is not. For example, each chapter begins with an excerpt from “The Hall Master’s Guide”. These excerpts, while funny enough to make me chuckle, also often frame the unique experiences of middle school in such a way as to validate the challenges readers may experience.
The story balances mundane and fantasy elements. I appreciated that the main conflict ultimately involved a fantastical demon rather than just ‘defeating’ middle school. I think that would have pushed the book too close to contemporary fiction (rather than speculative) for my tastes. No spoilers, but the conclusion wasn’t quite what I expected. It adds a lot to the story. I imagine readers unfamiliar with D&D could still enjoy this book, while readers who are familiar with D&D will get even more laughs out of it.
The Bottom Line: A refreshing mash-up of the quest narrative and surviving middle school stories. Try it with readers who love both or either fantasy and contemporary (and of course, with D&D players).
I thought Homeroom & Hall Passes's premise sounded hilarious and unique. My initial concern was that it would be over-the-top silly, but it is not. For example, each chapter begins with an excerpt from “The Hall Master’s Guide”. These excerpts, while funny enough to make me chuckle, also often frame the unique experiences of middle school in such a way as to validate the challenges readers may experience.
In the real world, political authority comes from noble birth, or in rare cases because someone found a magic sword. But in middle school, class presidents are chosen democratically. This process involves homemade posters, wildly unrealistic promises, and capturing a plurality of the votes cast by the class. Though the title of class president is largely meaningless, it is still relentlessly sought by Overachievers, Nerds, Jocks, and Class Clowns alike. (Pg. 162)The story is told from Hall Master Albiorix’s perspective. He functions as the grounded and relatable character of the party. As the HM, he doesn’t have a character to embody once his party is sucked into the game. Albiorix remains himself and gives readers an easy entry point into the worlds of Bríandalör and Homerooms & Hall Passes.
The story balances mundane and fantasy elements. I appreciated that the main conflict ultimately involved a fantastical demon rather than just ‘defeating’ middle school. I think that would have pushed the book too close to contemporary fiction (rather than speculative) for my tastes. No spoilers, but the conclusion wasn’t quite what I expected. It adds a lot to the story. I imagine readers unfamiliar with D&D could still enjoy this book, while readers who are familiar with D&D will get even more laughs out of it.
The Bottom Line: A refreshing mash-up of the quest narrative and surviving middle school stories. Try it with readers who love both or either fantasy and contemporary (and of course, with D&D players).