Thaddeus Ledbetter can't understand why his plans for improving efficiency at Crooked Creek Middle School aren't receiving the praise and accolades he expected. Instead, Thaddeus faces a year spent in in-school suspension. He is undaunted by his punishment and sets out to gather the evidence he needs to free himself from his unjust fate. The result is a hilarious journey involving letters, emails, song lyrics, discipline referrals, and Thaddeus's own justification (retelling) of the events that got him into ISS. Even my reluctant readers found this book engaging and couldn't put it down. My gifted students found a sympathetic character that "thinks outside the box" and loved that Thaddeus included "fun facts" in his defense. This book is fun to read and funny, too. How many books for adolescent readers can fill that bill? ( )

As a parent and an educator, I found Thaddeus infuriating! But I know my students will find him to be hilariously outrageous. Once I stopped reading this book with an adult's perspective and started just reading it for the wonderful entertainment it provides, I found myself really enjoying it.

Gosselink has created a character that only a mother (or perhaps a tolerant and patient teacher) could love. To put it simply, Thaddeus is so full of himself, so convinced that he knows all and can do all and everyone should bow to his superior intellect. (I did find myself wondering if Thaddeus ever gets out of in-school-suspension would he grow up to be another Sheldon from TV's Big Bang Theory.) Thaddeus is a good kid with a good heart - he just doesn't see the flaws in all of his schemes. And when they fail, it couldn't have possibly been because they were flawed - the failure is always due to someone or something else - at least it's that way in Thaddeus' mind.

This is a laugh out loud read, perfect for 5th graders and above who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid and want to move on to something just as humorous, but perhaps a little more advanced.

Recommended for Grades 5 - 8th.

Mrs. Archer's rating: 4 of 5. ( )

Read this on the recommendation of my 11-yr-old, who loved it. This book is a little slow for an adult reader but overall a good story about an extraordinary kid whose faith in himself is so large that he does not stop when he should. Really. ( )