TUESDAY: We the Children (Keepers of the School Series)

As if it wasn't bad enough that Ben was running late to class, then he got stuck sitting with a janitor who had just broken his ankle and was waiting for an ambulance. While Ben waits with him, things get weird. The janitor starts going on about how it's now up to Ben to save the school from the developers who are set to tear it down when summer break starts. He even gives Ben a coin with a message from the school's long-dead founder. It's so weird that Ben tries to just put it out of his mind...until he finds out the janitor has died.


Ben shares the whole story with his best friend, Jill, and together they dive into the clues they've been given.

It is no secret that I am a fan of Andrew Clements. When I saw that he was kicking off a new series this spring, I put the first book immediately on my list. I didn't fall in love with the story and the characters like I did with stories like Frindle and  No Talking, but it was interesting enough that I would read it to my son or my students and I will read the next book (Fear Itself (Keepers of the School) due out September 7th). 


There are side stories about sailing, Ben's parents' separation, and another boy at school who likes to "tweak" Ben. (I did love the story of what happens between the boys during a boat race). The side stories fill in gaps between the parts of the story that focus on the main mystery - I skimmed through some of the sailing parts to get back to the mystery. I also like that the main characters get to learn some things about history, maps and other things as they work on their quest.


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