Never Say Boo!

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Overview

It isn't easy being the only ghost at Booniesville Elementary School!

Poor Gordon looks a fright, and even his lunch box is haunted. No one is brave enough to befriend him. Luckily, when his school has to be evacuated quickly, the young ghost rises to the occasion without worrying about what people will think; and teachers and students alike discover one should never judge a BOO-k by its cover.

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More About This Book

Overview

It isn't easy being the only ghost at Booniesville Elementary School!

Poor Gordon looks a fright, and even his lunch box is haunted. No one is brave enough to befriend him. Luckily, when his school has to be evacuated quickly, the young ghost rises to the occasion without worrying about what people will think; and teachers and students alike discover one should never judge a BOO-k by its cover.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Gordon leaves his old school in Ghost Town, where “everybody was a ghost,” to attend Booniesville, where he's the only one of his kind. It doesn't take long for the other kids to notice that Gordon is different. His teacher passes out when she sees him, and he quickly realizes “his prize-winning, blood-curdling, hair-rising BOO! would not win him a single new friend here.” But, in the end, it's Gordon's taboo word that saves the day. Fans of ghoulish comedy will find this plenty amusing, though Gordon's corpselike appearance may leave some on edge. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)
Children's Literature - Nicole Peterson Davis
Gordon does not like to be the new kid at school. Who does? At his old school, he fit in perfectly; there, everyone was a ghost. But in his new school, he is the only one. Whenever he says words with "boo" in them, the other students are scared. Gordon just wants to fit in and make new friends. So, he refuses to say "boo." Then, there is a fire in the building. The fire alarms aren't working, Gordon realizes that the time for making friends was over. He uses his best talent (he could say "boo" better than any other ghost at his old school) and quickly gets everyone out of the building. The simple illustrations show the normalcy of a classroom in the unique situation of a ghost attending school with mortals. This not-so-spooky Halloween tale will teach children the importance of tolerance and friendliness even in the face of obvious differences. Reviewer: Nicole Peterson Davis
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2—"Being the new kid is a bummer," even for ghosts. At Gordon's old school, everyone was a ghost, but he's the only one at Booniesville Elementary School. As he enters his new classroom, all of the students stare in wide-eyed fear at the skeletal white phantom, and his teacher faints when he says hello. Trying to make friends at lunch isn't any easier because of the surprise his mother slipped into his lunchbox. Finally, Gordon discovers his special talent: his "prize-winning, bloodcurdling, hair-raising BOO" sounds the alarm when fire breaks out in the school kitchen. In Lucke's creepy and comical gouache illustrations, Gordon's bulging eyes and pasty white skull stand out on the mostly black background and are in contrast to his orange-yellow striped shirt and human classmates. Add in Pulver's straightforward dialogue and you have an amusing read-aloud that will show readers that even ghosts have a hard time being accepted in new surroundings.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY
Kirkus Reviews
It's never easy being the new kid at school, but when you're the only ghost, too, it's really tough. When Gordon greets his new teacher-Mrs. BOOdle-she passes out. "Bummer," says Gordon. It gets worse: Each vocabulary word begins with "boo," the kids all run away from Gordon's haunted lunchbox and then a fire breaks out and the fire alarm doesn't work. What's a ghost to do? A well-timed "BOO!" evacuates the school and wins Gordon the friendship of all. Lucke depicts Gordon as a droopy, gray-faced fellow with untied saddle shoes and a tendency to shed teeth when he talks. Readers will identify with Gordon's desire "just...to fit in," but they may well be mystified by the arbritrariness of the setup. (Picture book. 5-8)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780823421107
  • Publisher: Holiday House, Inc.
  • Publication date: 8/1/2009
  • Pages: 32
  • Age range: 5 - 8 Years
  • Product dimensions: 9.00 (w) x 10.20 (h) x 0.40 (d)

Meet the Author

Robin Pulver is the author of many terrific books, including Punctuation Takes a Vacation, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and Silent Letters Loud and Clear. She lives in upstate New York. Visit her on the web at www.robinpulver.com.

Deb Lucke is the author and illustrator of The Book of Time Outs: A Mostly True History of the World's Biggest Troublemakers and The Boy Who Wouldn't Swim. You can see a selection of her unique art at www.deblucke.com. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

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