Parents' Guide to

My Weird School Series

By Carrie Kingsley, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Playful books have jokes, lessons, some stereotypes.

Book Dan Gutman For Beginning Readers 2004
My Weird School Series Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 19 parent reviews

liztucker4077
liztucker4077 Adult
October 24, 2019
age 7+

Not the lessons I want my child to learn

My daughter was given this book for school as a guided reading book. She sat next to me as she read about 1/4 of it. After the questions and statements she was making, I asked to see the book. After reading some and then skipping to parts, I told her to read another book and I emailed the teacher that we wouldn't be reading this book. My 7 year old was concerned about the book by the amount of lying and the language. It's just a whole lot of lying to adults, saying people are thing are dumb, calling names, many "I hate" statements, sneaking out of the house to TP a house, etc. In the beginning my daughter raised concern and I said that the kid probably learns a lesson and gets nicer by the end - wrong. The whole book is like that. It is supposed to be funny apparently... And to take the cake - A girl's costume rips off and she is in her underwear in front of the others being laughed at and the character says "She deserves it". What!? No! That is never how to treat someone AND no one ever deserves to be naked and laughed at. All of this is not language or behavior that we take lightly or want to normalize in our home. There are so many more intelligent and funny things to read. If you are looking for a funny yet good book - try the Wayside School books. Clean yet funny.

This title has:

Too much swearing
4 people found this helpful.
mdoddr
mdoddr Adult
February 23, 2021
age 6+

Kids can relate

While A.J. isn't exactly a great role model for kids, he's relatable. The book isn't telling kids how to see the world rather than telling stories through a lens they can relate to. When I say "kids" I should probably be more precise: My son. A.J. hates school like my son does so a book where the main character comes to see the good in math, music, or gym, can be a good tool for me to get my son to see that they aren't just "boring". There are some negatives but I think kids need some teaching without preaching Now, I personally find the books boring and repetitive. Every story is the exact same and there is no progression at all. This goofy teacher's class is boring... or is it!? Over and Over. But I don't mind this because it feeds my fantasy that, yeah, I could write a kids book.... doesn't seem so hard.... The thing that is worst about this book is the MS word clip art they use as illustrations. Much more offensive than the 1960s gender stereotypes. LOL.
3 people found this helpful.
See all 19 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the MY WEIRD SCHOOL series, second-grader Arlo Jervis (aka A.J.) hates school, and he does everything he can to cause the maximum disruption while doing the minimum amount of work. Sometimes, though, he's tricked into working hard, like when his new teacher, Miss Daisy, says she doesn't know how to do math and her entire class has to teach her addition. Or when the principal, Mr. Klutz, says he'd give the school a chocolate party and kiss a pig if they wrote 100,000 spelling words. With his friends Ryan and Michael, A.J. squares off against the girls, Andrea and Emily, in a constant boys-vs.-girls battle that stereotypes learning and school as nerdy and female and sports and rambunctious behavior as innately male.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19 ):
Kids say (10 ):

This beginning chapter book series is for any kid who doesn't like school, enjoys watching kids get away with pranks, or wants to see school as a sillier place than it is. Kids love reading the My Weird School series. The language is age-appropriate, the adult characters are as loopy as they come, and the friendships between the kids are real. But any reader who's felt the sting of schoolyard teasing, or who's sensitive to seeing kids pick on each other, or who doesn't like the "boys vs. girls" theme might have a hard time with the content.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the name-calling in the My Weird School series. Does it seem over the top to you, or do kids at your school insult one another this much?

  • What other books about school friends have you read? Is a school friend different from a neighbor friend?

  • Can jokes turn into bullying if taken too far? What can you do if someone bullies you or if you see someone else being bullied?

Book Details

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