Harry Allard (1928–2017)

"Miss Nelson Is Missing" tells the tale of a misbehaving class of students who take their sweet-natured teacher, Miss Nelson, for granted. When Miss Nelson mysteriously disappears and is replaced by the terrifying substitute, Miss Viola Swamp, the students realize how much they miss their kind teacher. They embark on a mission to find her, learning valuable lessons about respect and appreciation along the way. This book would do well around kindergarten and first grade and can be used to talk about treating others with kindness.… (more)

When I was five years old or something, I was legit terrified by this book and thought Miss Nelson had an evil twin. Thirty years later, someone posted a photo of Miss Viola Swamp and encouraged people to comment on who it was. I couldn't remember the name but I sure remembered being scared. I read others' comments and got ahold of this book, happily. This is cute! I'm glad I got to read it again. I figured out what was up quickly this time, and the ending made me giggle a little. Turns out it was made into a series. I hope kids today enjoy it.… (more)