This book is a good science fiction because it tells what a hurricane is but puts into a makebelieve tale that students can have fun learning about something that is real. Genre: science fiction. Media: water color and ink. Age Appopriateness: intermediate. ( )

http://athomescience.blogspot.com/200... ( )

This book is an informational text that tells the story of one wacky teacher and her students. Mrs. Frizzle is a "mad scientist" sort of teacher that takes her class on a field trip that sends them into the eye of a hurricane!

Even though this story should probably be classified as modern fiction, it has too much accurate information to not be classified as informational text. I grew up reading about "The Frizz" and her crazy field trips, and I always enjoyed them!

I would have the students make a "survival kit" for a hurricane "field trip." I think they would enjoy imagining our class being able to go on wild rides like this. I would also have them research various weather phenomena, and we could compare the types of storms and make charts to show how each relates to one another. ( )

Judy Katsh (Children's Literature)
The New York Times Book Review calls The Magic School Bus ."..the freshest, most amusing approach to science for children and it's the truth!" The humor comes both from the hair-raising situations in which Ms. Frizzle and her well-traveled students find themselves and from the comfortable familiarity many readers now have with the eccentricities of each member of the crew. The science comes from clear, never condescending, writing both in the main text (which stands on its own and is plenty--enriching for youngest readers) and in the class reports featured as sidebars on each page. The sly jokes, the informative text, and the wild illustrations all work together to make a learning package that will be fun to open again and again. 1995, Scholastic, $14.95 and $4.95. Ages 5 up.

Awards, Honors, Prizes:
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award Winner 1996 Non-Fiction United States
Garden State Children's Book Award Winner 1998 Younger Non-Fiction New Jersey ( )

ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award Winner 1996 Non-Fiction ( )