Fourth Grade is a Jinx

Fourth Grade is a Jinx
Book Review II

Author/ Illustrator: Colleen O'Shaughnessy McKenna
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: General
Primary Characters: Collette, Marsha, Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Murphy and Sister Mary Elizabeth
Secondary Characters: Roger, Mrs. Haversham, Miss Merkle, Matthew, and Micheal
Publishing: Scholastic Inc. 1989
Awards: N/A

Theme: Life is full of incidents that are not joyful, but one has to learn to deal with them.

Summary: Fourth grade is going to be a great year for Collette Murphy. Her best friend Sara is in her class, she loves her teacher, and the work is easy. Everything is groovy until Mrs. Johnston has an accident, and can no longer teach. This means the class must get a substitute teacher- Collette's mother! Collette is traumatized and is certain that her fourth grade year is ruined. The story tells of all the humorous events that happen throughout her fourth grade experience.

Uses with students: In a classroom, this book would be an excellent silent reading book, or could be used in a discussion on peer pressure. Also, in a fourth grade classroom, the teacher could read a loud this book the first week of class to welcome the students to the fourth grade.