A whimsical collection of short stories centers on life in the eponymous classroom, where a genie can appear in a cloud of chalk dust and a pesky creature hides inside Emily's messy desk. Humorous fantasy blends with realistic school situations in the sometimes self-conscious prose, but many of the stories are ultimately revealed to be sugar-sprinkled didacticism. The cartoonlike illustrations are in keeping with the book's tone. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. With an edge of fantasy, the 11 loosely connected stories in this beginning chapter book capture the daily goings-on in a typical third-grade classroom. The magic gives a push to the kids' self-esteem: the non-reader finds himself in a book and learns to read; the shy speaker gets help from the bug in her ear and then finds she can manage without him; the bragger gets her comeuppance from a real witch. Some of the messages are just too heavy and obvious. What children will enjoy is the funny exaggeration of a third-grade classroom--exactly what is in a messy desk; exactly what the class pest does to gross you out. The "tall teacher" in the background connects the stories, and he is, in fact, the most interesting character, in need of his coffee to stop his yawns in the morning, his ears bright red when he's angry. Larry Di Fiori's small cartoon illustrations are appropriately comic and deadpan. --Hazel Rochman

These droll stories of a third-grade classroom‘in which genies grant wishes and witches wreak havoc‘are full of "waggish wordplay and humorous asides," said PW in a starred review. Ages 7-10. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

The Classroom At The End Of The Hall ($14.95; Aug. 15, 1996; 132 pp.; 1-886910-07-3): A collection of stories about events in a weird classroom, where various creatures, including a genie, an intelligent doodlebug, and possibly a ghost, may live. Students learn the value of trying harder, doing their own work, appreciating their hardworking teacher, not daydreaming, and even keeping their desks neat. The instruction is only thinly cloaked in tall-tale humor and cartoony black-and-white drawings; Evans's first book is one educators may like but few children will finish. (Short stories. 8-12)

Gr 5 Up‘These 11 short stories all take place in the "classroom at the end of the hall" where strange things happen. Unfortunately, the actual tales do not hold up to the promise of the premise. The lead characters are all stereotypical, classroom types: The Trouble Maker, The Day Dreamer, The One with the Messy Desk, etc. The characters are cured of their problematic characteristics through some sort of supernatural intervention. The Troublemaker spends the day transformed into the tall teacher (who has no name) and realizes how hard it is to have a kid like himself in the class. Emily has a Messy-Desk Pest that teaches her the value of neatness. A child learns not to look at other student's papers for answers, another not to day-dream. Even Di Fiori's charming line drawings scattered throughout don't take these stories beyond a one-dimensional plane. These morality tales seem to be created for lesson plans rather than to amuse and inform their intended audience.‘Lisa Von Drasek, Brooklyn Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.