Stuart Goes to School

by Sara Pennypacker, Martin Matje (Illustrator)

Overview

This hilarious sequel to STUART'S CAPE is a witty look at an eight-year-old worrier's first day of third grade. Now in paperback!

The first day of school is here, and Stuart is worried. What if he gets stuck in the boys' bathroom? What if he doesn't have anything to show for show and tell? Worst of all, what if his mother really makes him wear those green plaid pants and a shirt with little cowboys on it? Doesn't she know that on a make-friends-or-else kind of day like this what Stuart really needs to wear is his cape?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439301831
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	421,327
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.63(h) x (d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Sara Pennypacker is a bestselling author whose title include the Clementine series (Clementine, The Talented Clementine, and Clementine's Letter), the Stuart series (Stuart's Cape and Stuart Goes to School), and the picture books Pierre in Love and Sparrow Girl. Sara lives on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.
Martin Matje illustrated many books for children, including Harry and Lulu, Wallace Hoskins, The Boy Who Grew Down, Celeste: A Day in the Park, The Ink Drinker, and Do You Believe in Ghosts.

Editorial Reviews

"The worrywart hero of Stuart's Cape faces his first day of classes in a new town. Luckily, his magic cape will help him out again in this wryly funny mix of the real and the magical, enhanced by the late Matje's quirky line art," PW said. Ages 4-8. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4-A sequel to Stuart's Cape (Orchard, 2002), this humorous fantasy perfectly captures the child's-eye view of elementary-school life. Stuart, who is "excellent at worrying," finds plenty to agonize over as he starts third grade at a new school. What if he gets stuck in the bathroom or throws up? Why does he have to wear his father's ugly cowboy shirt and green plaid pants? His only consolation is his magical cape. When he wears it, unexpected adventures happen. To impress his classmates, the boy decides to try controlling the cape's arcane powers. He wishes for the hideous hand-me-down outfit to disappear but suddenly finds himself standing in his underwear. Stuart is convinced that he will be the laughingstock of the third grade forever. The expressive cartoon drawings often become part of the text design. Young readers are sure to identify with Stuart's persistent quest to find his place in the classroom society.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Worrywart Stuart is back and he has something to worry about in this excellent sequel to Stuart's Cape (2002). It's his first day of school and there is no end to his worries: Will the kids make fun of his clothes? What if he's the shortest kid? What if he gets stuck in the bathroom? And, the worst, where did his mother find the "plaid hurt-your-eyes pants and cowboy shirt"? Luckily for our hero, he still has his magic handmade cape, made of stapled neckties. Though he still can't quite control the magic, it does provide him with plenty of adventures. Stuart's cape has a mind of its own and readers will gasp with sympathetic embarrassment when Stuart's pants and shirt disappear, he's surprised to find himself in the teachers' room, and his pencil manages to create reality in its own hilarious way. Never does Pennypacker underestimate her readers and Matje's naïve cartoon illustrations capture Stuart's youthful angst to a tee. Precocious readers looking for clever and unusual situations will not be disappointed. Hilarious and clever. (Fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews