Book Review: Pennybaker School is Headed for Disaster by Jennifer Brown

Publish Date: July 11, 2017
320 Pages [Kindle edition]
Published by Bloomsbury USA Children

Synopsis:
Thomas Fallgrout always thought of himself as a regular kid until the day he accidentally creates a little big of magic using his grandpa's old potions. Suddenly, he's pulled from public school and enrolled in Pennybaker Academy for the Uniquely Gifted, where kids are busy perfecting their chainsaw juggling, unicycling feats, and didgeridoo playing.

Pennybaker is full of spirit thanks to its most beloved teacher: the late, great Helen Heirmauser. The school has even erected a statue of her head on a pedestal. Then, life is uprooted when the statue goes missing -- and everyone thinks Thomas is behind its disappearance. Now his head is on the line. As his new friends turn on him, Thomas finds himself pairing up with the only person who will associate with him: his oddball next door neighbor Chip Mason. Together they work to hunt down the missing statue . . . only to discover that maybe what they've both needed to find all along was true friendship.

Featuring black-and-white illustrations, this wildly fun first book kicks off a hilarious new middle-grade series from acclaimed author Jennifer Brown.
 
My Thoughts:
I was gifted an ebook via Netgalley.This story was really cute but also kind of heartbreaking at the same time. Thomas was mistreated by literally everyone but his neighbor, Chip Mason. The Pennybaker School was quite interesting and I enjoyed the cast of kooky characters. Chip was definitely my favorite. I loved that he was full of zany anecdotes. I can see kids around 10 or 11 really enjoying this story.

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