Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want To Survive The School Bus (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Reading Level: IntermediateGenre: Picture Book, Contemporary FictionReview: I actually loved this book. I found it to be hilarious and highly imaginative. The book describes a young boy's first day on the school bus, a subject that would be highly relevant for kids doing the same for the first time. The style of writing and humor would make this a great pick for children in intermediate grades. The artwork is engaging and creative, and matches the story perfectly. Told humorously, in first person, the narrator is about to ride the school bus for the first time. He looks to his older brother, James, for sage advice on what to do, how to act, and who to avoid.James gives him ten rules to always follow, where to sit, where not to sit, who to talk to, who not to talk to, when to get on the bus, and on and on. As he walks to the bus the first time, he gets knocked down by the bigger kids and immediately breaks a rule, never be the last one on the bus. As he boards the bus, the only two seats still empty are the first and last, two more rules, never sit in the first or last rows. As he walks to the last row he manages to break five more rules and is convinced that his days are limited because of his choice of seats, sitting next to a bully and just being on the bus.On the way home he manages to break all the rules except one, “Never mess with the bus driver. She’s scarier than the dog on the corner.” But when the bully he is sitting with confides that the bus is going to stop on the corner with the meanest dog in the neighborhood, “I heard he ate a first grader last year.” Our young narrator figures he has nothing to lose by breaking the last rule and approaches the bus driver asking, “Can you drop us off on the other side of the street?” “Is that all?” she asks. “No sweat, kid. Now sit down.”Suddenly, in the eyes of the bully our narrator is elevated in status, he approached the bus driver. Feeling, brave, confident and so sure of himself, he finds his brother waiting for him at home, “How was the school bus? Where did you sit? Did you get pounded? Who’s the bully? Is the driver mean? You didn’t talk to any girls, did you? Was it terrible?” And the answer quite simply is, “It was OK. I think I’ll be all right. And I learned something I never expected to learn. . . Rule Eleven: Never, absolutely never, pay attention to your big brother’s list of ten rules . . .”The story is humorous, laugh out loud silly but very typical of middle school humor and fun. It’s a great read that the student entering middle school would enjoy and be able to relate to. I would hesitate reading it to the younger students as they would not understand the sarcasm, situations, and parody.
What do You think about Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want To Survive The School Bus (2011)?
Loved it! This is a great example of a narrative. It is funny and my students LOVED it!
—saramc
Well written, great example of who to listen to or not.
—tintin
Cute book. Recommended esp to read to kindergarteners.
—REW
