The saying "once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker" is put to the test in this school story by Andrew Clements. For Clayton Hensley, trouble seems to find him no matter what he does. He has a long rap sheet of incidents in the principal's office, and even his attempts at getting creative in class result in jokes at the expense of authority figures. But when his older brother gets into some serious trouble, Clayton decides to turn over a new leaf. Unfortunately, his reputation precedes him, and changing his ways proves to be an uphill battle. Through this tale, Clements explores the thin line between harmless pranks and dangerous behavior, and the impact our choices can have on our future.
Publishers Weekly,Clements (Extra Credit) delivers another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders. Like his older brother, Mitch, sixth-grader Clay is habitually in trouble, and he can't wait to tell Mitch about his latest coup-a realistic portrait of Principal Kelling as a donkey. But his 19-year-old brother, who's just finished a 30-day jail sentence after losing his temper in court, is not amused, and he orders Clay to straighten out ("You're gonna do all the stuff that I never did-and do things right, the smart way"). Clay promises to do so, but learns that his well-established reputation is hard to shake, backsliding is easy, and taking his life in a new direction might mean leaving old friends behind-or being pranked himself. Though the story is largely Clay's, Clements offers the perspectives of other characters, demonstrating how Clay's tussles with his conscience have an impact on the environment around him. Clements's empathy for Clay is clear-he's not a bad kid, just someone whose mischievous tendencies have always been encouraged. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
