Ms. Todd Is Odd

Gr 1–3—The students in Miss Daisy's class are dismayed when their teacher is out sick and they are introduced to a substitute named Ms. Todd. The main character, A.J., hates school, and immediately wants to antagonize the substitute teacher. The plot is fairly directionless as A.J. bullies the substitute and some of his classmates. After 40 minutes of A.J. whining about how much he hates school, the weird crybabies in his class, and the "dumbest teacher in the world," the story ends when A.J. accuses Ms. Todd of murdering Miss Daisy, and then accuses Miss Daisy of murdering Ms. Todd. There is no resolution, because there is no developed plot. A.J. repeatedly mocks the "nerds" and "dorks" in school, calling them "dumbheads," "dweebs," "know-it-alls," "weird," and "annoying." It is surprising to see a story for this age group that glorifies bullying and school-hate since bullying is a major real-life problem. A.J. also expresses that learning something new is so horrible, he may die, and that his favorite part of a read-aloud was when the dog in the story was hit by a car. Jared Goldsmith's narration is fine, but there is little to no redeeming value in the story itself.—Jenny Ventling, Greene County Public Library, OH