The Boy Who Owned the School

Gr 6–9—Narrator Nick Podehl captures the humorous and self-deprecating third-person narrative about Jacob Freisten whose mother calls him "the boy who owned the school" in order to raise his self-esteem. Jacob can't imagine a less likely epithet as he self-consciously navigates the high school halls, changing in a locker room corner, seldom speaking to anyone, and trying not to be noticed. To help raise his grade, his English teacher requires him to work on the stage crew of the school production of The Wizard of Oz. His assignment is to run the fog machine. Jacob's crush, Maria Tresser, plays the Wicked Witch of the West who is to disappear in the fog. His adolescent angst reaches new heights in some hilarious school and home situations. In the end, Jacob finds it easier to identify with his classmates and his grades improve. Listeners will relate to Gary Paulsen's tale (Scholastic, 1990) of adolescent life and first romance.—Mary Lee Bulat, Harwinton Public Library, CT