Dear Teacher

K-Gr 2—This humorous back-to-school book begins with a letter to a student from Principal N. T. Grindstone welcoming him back to school and promising lots of hard work in the year ahead. Following is a series of notes to his new teacher from the highly imaginative Michael, explaining the reasons for his lateness and subsequent absence; "The head of the secret service turned up…I did mention the math test, but he said the future of the country depends on me." Readers follow Michael on the hunt for a missing explorer from the top of Mount Everest through the Egyptian pyramids and the Amazon, by way of a rather sinister pirate ship. The child ends up not returning to school at all, but instead finds himself on another mission of epic proportions. Or does he? The illustrations and text look as if they are the work of Michael himself, and the postscripts are often laugh-worthy ("P.S. It's probably best not to mention this to Mom if you see her in the supermarket again.") This book is well positioned for the back-to-school crowd and is a fun choice for children who are a little young for Jeff Kinney's "Wimpy Kid" books (Abrams) but enjoy a similar format. The illustrations will empower readers to believe they can write a similar story. This one is more enduring than most back-to-school titles.—Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL