Ms. Beard Is Weird!

September 1, 2012
Grades 1-3 In this fifth My Weirder School outing, slick Hollywood producer Ms. Beard arrives at A.J.'s Ella Mentry School to shoot a reality show about its teachers. To attract viewers, she decides they'll compete in several eventsfrom Ella Mentry Idol and Dancing with the Teachers to mud wrestling. Though education takes a backseat for the week, school's no snooze as teacher teams battle it out to avoid elimination. The satire may resonate more with those familiar with the real versions of the reality shows, but narrator A.J.'s peppy account, the teachers' comical antics, plentiful hyperbolic humor, and cartoonlike illustrations make for an entertaining, fast-paced read that will draw series fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)