Lauren Magaziner

For a book that draws its schtick from sarcastic humor, I thought it was pretty good. Its over-the-top ridiculous at times, but that's the intention, and I think kids are drawn to that type of writing.

When George is kidnapped out of the blue from a couple of blundering idiots in an ice cream truck, he could never imagine where he would end up. He's at the Pilfer Academy which trains kids to be pilfers or thieves. Everything in the school is stolen. The food is stolen. The mansion is stolen. show more Even the kids are stolen. At first George thinks it's interesting. The other kids seem to like it and it's been made clear to him that he can't leave. So he makes the best of it and goes to all of his criminal training classes. But when his mid-term exam is to break into a house a steal a teddy bear from a baby, he begins to doubt that this is the place for him. First he tries to get himself expelled, but when that fails, he realizes that the only option is escape. It should be no problem for a kid trained for criminal activity.

This book is entertaining, but you have to appreciate really idiotic humor. The adults are not smart, which is sure to be a kid pleaser. show less

This was cute, and the interactive pick your path storyline is interesting.....with caveats. I was really excited at the start of this....but, the idea behind the adventure ended up being better than the reality. Maybe because I'm adult who wants to read a well paced story.....maybe the target audience would be better suited to enjoy this more.....but, I found having to stop, pick a path, and go to a certain page to be less entertaining than I expected. The design is a bit awkward...the show more pathway pages are in absolutely no order.....upon choosing your path, you may be asked to jump ahead 200 pages or jump back 50.

I was under the impression that different paths may lead to different outcomes.....but instead, picking the wrong path means that you will end up at a dead end where you'll find CASE CLOSED, and the story ends. This means if you don't remember the last page you were on to pick a different path you'll be forced to start over.

All in all...it was ok....not as enjoyable as I was expecting. show less

Rupert Campbell is fascinated by the witches who live nearby. He dreams of broomstick tours and souvenir potions, but the closest he can get to a witchy experience is sitting in class with his awful teacher Mrs. Frabbleknacker, who smells like bellybutton lint and forbids Rupert’s classmates from talking to each other before, during, and after class. So when he sees an ad to become a witch’s apprentice, Rupert simply can’t resist applying. But Witchling Two isn’t exactly what Rupert show more expected. With a hankering for lollipops and the magical aptitude of a toad, she needs all the help she can get to pass her exams and become a full-fledged witch. She’s determined to help Rupert stand up to dreadful Mrs. Frabbleknacker too, but the witchling's magic will be as useful as a clump of seaweed unless Rupert can figure out a way to help her improve her spellcasting—and fast! show less

Not hilarious, not thought-provoking, just silly. Even the title is a throwaway. Even lighter than [a:Ruth Chew|53238|Ruth Chew|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1274321642p2/53238.jpg], definitely less interesting than [a:Roald Dahl|4273|Roald Dahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311554908p2/4273.jpg]. And to compare it to Wayside School is just ridiculous. Sorry.