Janitors

Nov 22, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just bought this at Deseret Book today for my son. I'm the last in line to read in our family since I'm in the middle of the last Harry Potter book. Tyler signed our book today and we saw him with his drumming group called The Janitors perform a percussion piece with buckets, sticks, and garbage cans. It was awesome!

OK I'm now finished this book and wow it was fun! I didn't want to get over with it so I really savored it by reading just a chapter a day. It was a great book I would highly recomme...more

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May 06, 2013 Jenben8426 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-chapter-books

Spencer Zumbro is a sixth grader and likes things neat and tidy--everything should have a place and everything should be clean. So when his face gets written on by the school bully while sleeping, Spencer rushes to the bathroom to scrub the ink off. What Spencer doesn't expect is the soap to fill like he is burning his face off, and he is horrified when he starts seeing yucky looking creatures all over the school. When Spencer confronts the janitors on what he sees he is told to get lost, but Sp...more

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May 01, 2013 Bethany rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished, middle-school, fantasy, childrens, children-s

Ugh. I tried so hard with this one, but I just couldn't stand it anymore.

Spencer is a middle school student who is either a good kid/student OR a troublemaker. I can't quite figure out whether he is a Seth or a Kendra (reference to Fablehaven). He seems to leapfrog between those personalities. After washing a bully's marks off of his face with some seriously nasty soap, Spencer can suddenly see all sorts of little monsters. It turns out that these monsters suck out kids' attention and intellige...more Ugh. I tried so hard with this one, but I just couldn't stand it anymore.

Spencer is a middle school student who is either a good kid/student OR a troublemaker. I can't quite figure out whether he is a Seth or a Kendra (reference to Fablehaven). He seems to leapfrog between those personalities. After washing a bully's marks off of his face with some seriously nasty soap, Spencer can suddenly see all sorts of little monsters. It turns out that these monsters suck out kids' attention and intelligence. Spencer is soon recruited, along with a classmate named Daisy "Gullible" Gates, to fight these monsters and save kids' brains everywhere.

I sort of like the writing style, I love the illustrator (Brandon Dorman is a really awesome illustrator), and I usually like Shadow Mountain publications. Janitors, however, fell flat. It felt like it was trying too hard to be like Fablehaven. The problem is that it is far too shallow and predictable. I knew from the minute that the main character and his friend were approached how the twist was eventually going to work out. I also couldn't "get into" the characters--ANY of them. I just got bored. I don't care about finishing the book, much less trying the sequel. (Oh, and this is a really rare thing for me; I speed-read, so I usually finish EVERY book I try.)

For another thing, the chapter titles are confusing. It just seems like Whitesides picked a random quote from a conversation in the chapter and used it as a chapter title. Literally every single chapter title in the book is a quote from a character--I checked. I usually use the titles as a bit of foreshadowing to get an idea of the theme/main event of the chapter, but that didn't happen in Janitors. I couldn't find a theme or a main event in any chapter. I would have been much happier if the chapters had simply been numbered.

Basically, the writing is a bit off, the actual storyline and the techniques are off-putting, and I was just annoyed by everything in Janitors. I would suggest looking elsewhere for a gripping read for kids. Personally, I think that this would not encourage more kids to read...but maybe that's just me. (less)

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Aug 30, 2012 Elisha Condie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

I love this cover. I liked the idea. The janitors closets at school really were rather mysterious - you never went in there, the door was always shut, I mean, what are they hiding in there!? Besides cleaning products, I mean. The janitors at Welcher Elementary are hiding stuff- magical stuff. Because there are dusty little invisible creatures all around the school that hamper kids ability to learn - they make you hyper, or sleepy, or distracted.

And that is what I both liked about this book, a...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Rhiannon Ryder rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I went on the hunt for this book at the BEA because of a poster for it in the lobby. Brandon Mulls quote on the front, with the great art had me excited for this new middle school series. I was hoping for another fantastic series like Fablehaven, but I was deeply disappointed.

My number one issue with middle school books is when authors attempt to talk down to their audience. I don't think it's even intentional a lot of the time, and certainly there are variations of it, from out right talking do...more I went on the hunt for this book at the BEA because of a poster for it in the lobby. Brandon Mulls quote on the front, with the great art had me excited for this new middle school series. I was hoping for another fantastic series like Fablehaven, but I was deeply disappointed.

My number one issue with middle school books is when authors attempt to talk down to their audience. I don't think it's even intentional a lot of the time, and certainly there are variations of it, from out right talking down, to just a lack of sophistication in the way the story is told. Some authors suffer from it in the growing pains of their first book, and some seem to fall into it as a way of story telling. I can tell you that not a single popular middle grade book or series that I've read has ever fallen prey to it, which would lend credence to me when I say it's the wrong way to approach young readers- unless they're four and under.

Janitors was decidedly unsophisticated, the story and the characters were never really allowed to grow into something big and wild, attempts were made to challenge the imagination but then they were tightly pulled back again. The story often shifted into moralizing- the bad guys were obviously bad because they had Spencer and Daisy do things that got them in trouble (um, am I just wrong here or did Harry, Hermione and Ron not get into endless trouble?), mom is the most trustworthy person in your life thus you should tell her everything and keep no secrets- even if she likely won't believe a word of it, etc. It started feeling decidedly didactic and it grew old very quickly.

Worse yet was that Whitesides had this novel magical slant with the Janitors, their powers and the whole fight that was starting to go down with the BEM, but instead of giving it the depth it needed so it would be something you would invest in, he took the easy route. The BEM wants all children to be stupid and vapid, just because, no further explanation necessary because isn't that evil enough? This will break apart society eventually, which doesn't seem like it would benefit a small government agency, but apparently this is where you, me, and every child who reads this series is supposed to suspend their disbelief and just go with it. But I ask you, after they've read the incredibly complex tale of good versus evil that is Harry Potter, do you really think that's going to hold water with kids?

Fablehaven was a rich and fantastical tale with a gripping evil twist, I was deeply disappointed that Janitors was the follow up middle grade series Shadow Mountain Press decided to go with.

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Mar 20, 2012 Tami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-mystery-adventure, juvenile-fantasy-scifi

Janitors was an unexpected find for me while perusing shelves at the library. The main character is 12-year-old Spencer Zumbro. He attends Welcher Elementary School. By unknowingly using a particularly powerful soap with magical properties he begins to see hybrid monster creatures all over the school. Spencer, however, is apparently the only one who can see them. This creates both embarrassing and frustrating situations for him.

Spencer, after convincing his classmate Daisy that he is telling the...more Janitors was an unexpected find for me while perusing shelves at the library. The main character is 12-year-old Spencer Zumbro. He attends Welcher Elementary School. By unknowingly using a particularly powerful soap with magical properties he begins to see hybrid monster creatures all over the school. Spencer, however, is apparently the only one who can see them. This creates both embarrassing and frustrating situations for him.

Spencer, after convincing his classmate Daisy that he is telling the truth, is approached by Garth Hadley, representative from the Bureau of Educational Maintenance, who asks Spencer to help them apprehend the school’s janitor, John Campbell. Hadley reveals that “John Campbell” is not even the man’s real name and he has apparently stolen some important magical tools from the government agency.

With genuine desire to help repossess these tools for the BEM, Spencer and Daisy embark on a mission of covert actions and destructive diversions involving the school’s Family Ice Cream Social. Successful in their mission, Spencer and Daisy are also in a LOT of trouble with their parents and the Principal. In lieu of suspension, Spencer and Daisy are sentenced to a week of detention…with the janitors.

It is at this point that Spencer discovers he has been tricked by the BEM and things are not as they seemed to be. Is Hadley lying? Oris John Campbell? Now Spencer finds himself in the position of having to repair the damage he and Daisy have done in their misguided attempts to save the school from the Janitor. The future of education itself is at stake.

This is a fun adventure story. It has all kinds of magic instruments, warlocks, witches, mutant monsters who prey on the brain waves of children and a government conspiracy to boot. Interspersed with all of these wonderfully fanciful elements are the real-life struggles of bullies, friendship and fitting in. There are battles and chases and moments of personal insight about truth and friendship and trust.

This is an excellent independent reading selection especially for readers who enjoy magic-tinted adventures.
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Jan 04, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After an encounter with what he thinks is soap, Spencer starts seeing creepy creatures roaming the halls of his middle school. He enlists the help of a classmate, Daisy, to help him figure out what is going on and uncovers a long standing problem-- since the beginning of public schools, buildings have been infected with Toxites, creatures who strip children of their intelligence for their own evil purposes. After being tricked by a janitorial manager, the two find out the real story and work aga...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Susan Hatch rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK...I'm a glutton for young adult books. This was listed in Deseret Book flyers and as luck would have it, ClevNet library had it (bless you ClevNet) and on audio which made the story, read by the author himself, so much more enjoyable. Great for listening to as I drove a lot this week.

This is a story perfect for kids in middle school. there are invisible monsters throughout the school and suddenly Spencer can see them. We learn what these monsters are all about, what their names are, who is in...more OK...I'm a glutton for young adult books. This was listed in Deseret Book flyers and as luck would have it, ClevNet library had it (bless you ClevNet) and on audio which made the story, read by the author himself, so much more enjoyable. Great for listening to as I drove a lot this week.

This is a story perfect for kids in middle school. there are invisible monsters throughout the school and suddenly Spencer can see them. We learn what these monsters are all about, what their names are, who is in control and who tries to be in control. We get the idea that kids' minds are being dumbed down, so their level of education will be less, and it appears to me they will be controlled by this lack. And the final battle scene was super!

Obviously this is an LDS book, written with the LDS in mind. The youth will read this and think it's a fun story. But it's more than that for adult. You hear phrases you have always heard in church. Warnings you are familiar with and best...blessings you rely on. Toward the end you hear: You will not be left alone.... I work with 2 friends who teach in an inner city school and yesterday as I was there, I listened to the teachers, watched the kids and wondered....are there these monsters in this school or in the homes of these students? Because sadly, our youth are being dumbed down, no matter how hard teachers try. Perhaps this is why this book had such an impact on me. Parents need to be so much more vigilant in helping their children be smart, be educated, to learn, to watch for the baddies out there, in all their forms.

In the beginning, as you think of these toxites (monsters)you as adults think of the near invisible threats that roam in the world today. Put there by Lucifer himself. I can readily recomment this book to old and young for an easy read but one that will leave you remembering........

It is Book 1 and I can't wait for Book 2...if only I can remember to watch for it. And hope that it will show up again in ClevNet in audio form.

Be sure to visit the author's website: http://www.tylerwhitesides.com/#/home I love the pictures of Marv and the creepy crawlies illustrated there.(less)

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Jun 18, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After Spencer Zumbro falls asleep during a captivating Algebra lesson, he awakes with permanent marker scrawled across his face by the classroom bully. A tad OCD about cleanliness, Spencer rushes to the bathroom to wash it off. As luck would have it, every soap dispenser is empty. If it weren’t for that little travel-sized soap on the edge of one sink, he never would have cleaned the marker off. Now that his face is clean, however, Spencer sees little monsters around the school that could be mak...more After Spencer Zumbro falls asleep during a captivating Algebra lesson, he awakes with permanent marker scrawled across his face by the classroom bully. A tad OCD about cleanliness, Spencer rushes to the bathroom to wash it off. As luck would have it, every soap dispenser is empty. If it weren’t for that little travel-sized soap on the edge of one sink, he never would have cleaned the marker off. Now that his face is clean, however, Spencer sees little monsters around the school that could be making children less energetic about learning. In fact, they could be part of a plot to make every student fail!

Tyler Whitesides’ first novel, Janitors is perfectly suited for young pre-teen readers. It has a little magic, a little bathroom humor, some action and a 12-year-old hero who has to keep his hands and room clean. His side-kick is the gullible Daisy Gates, the only person to believe Spencer when he tells his classmates about the unseen monsters in the school.

There are a few things I have a hard time swallowing – the whole history of the witches/warlocks/janitors that have looked after American Education since the time of the colonies left me unconvinced, but then, I’m not a 10-year-old boy. The characters were stock, but Spencer and Daisy have enough idiosyncrasies that they are somewhat interesting even to an adult. The writing seems a little awkward at first, though I am convinced that Whitesides will improve as he progresses.

Thematically, there are many things I like about Janitors. Spencer learns that he can trust his mother; he learns the value of standing up for what he believes in and the power of honesty. It has several other uplifting elements and I can see why Shadow Mountain would want to publish this book. I liked Alice, Spencer’s mother. She is overwhelmed having to provide for her family of five lively children by herself, but she loves her children fiercely and she turns out to be a better, more caring parent than Spencer realizes. I think kids need to see that moms make a difference. So often in children’s literature, the mother is either ineffectual or missing so that the main character has more conflict to overcome. Happily, Spencer finds that he does have more support at home than he thought he would have.

The cover art is done by the same artist who did Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series, but I don’t think Janitors will gather an adult following as Fablehaven has done. Though the protagonists are the same age, the action takes place in a school. Most of the good children’s and young adult literature being read by adults may have school-age protagonists, but the action isn’t limited as much to the school setting. I can imagine myself at Fablehaven or inside a book in Ink Heart, but when the action takes place in a school, it seems to limit my own involvement in the story.

Still, I think there is enough in Janitors that will appeal to young readers that it will be at least reasonably successful. I’ll keep my eyes open next year for book two of the series.
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Jun 17, 2011 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up an advanced reading copy of this book at Shadow Mountain's booth at BEA. It just looked fun and creative and I thought it would be a fun read. It was a well-written book that was engaging and fun. I enjoyed it and think the middle grade age set will really think this is a fun book; some adults (like me) will probably enjoy all of the magic, mystery, and fun as well.

Spencer is starting sixth grade at a new school and things aren't going well. At one point he falls asleep and someone w...more I picked up an advanced reading copy of this book at Shadow Mountain's booth at BEA. It just looked fun and creative and I thought it would be a fun read. It was a well-written book that was engaging and fun. I enjoyed it and think the middle grade age set will really think this is a fun book; some adults (like me) will probably enjoy all of the magic, mystery, and fun as well.

Spencer is starting sixth grade at a new school and things aren't going well. At one point he falls asleep and someone writes on his face. In a desperate attempt to get the marker off of his face he uses some mysterious pink soap in the boys' bathroom...the soap gets the marker off, but Spencer also starts seeing things. There are little, gross, disgusting monsters all over the school. Spencer finds that the janitors are the ones who keep these little toxic monsters in check; if the monsters are allowed to multiple they feed off of kids' brainwaves making kids stupid and slow. Now it is up to Spencer and his gullible friend Daisy to figure out what is going on and how to save their classmates from a threat only they can see.

This was a fun read. The idea of janitors fighting creepy Toxites to protect students is a creative and fun one. Spencer is a good character and reading about his antics, both in the classroom and with his huge family, is entertaining. Daisy is funny in her gullibility but also very heartfelt at times.

I enjoyed all the interesting magical things the Janitors could do. I also liked that the plot was a bit twisty, turny and kept you guessing. You never knew who the characters should trust. The book was very engaging and pacing was good; it was hard to put down.

The writing style is well done and easy to read. The book ended well, although there could be room for sequels.

The only really weak point to the book was the characters themselves; they don't have as much depth and aren't as engaging as I would have liked. The characters do fit the story well though and the story is more driven by plot and magic anyway.

Overall a fun read about finding magic and mystery in expected places. The plot was twisty turny and the Toxite monsters interesting. The characters were a little weak, but overall I still enjoyed reading this. It was a fun and light read and I think readers of all ages will enjoy this book.
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Oct 26, 2011 Taffy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

First line:

"Spencer shifted the papers on his school desk and looked for a hundredth time at the graffiti in the corner."

I read Tyler's book to my kids at bedtime. Every night they were adamant we read it even at 11 PM (which I nixed)!

They loved the characters, cleaning weapons and Toxites. My son wants to take it to school so his teacher can read it to the class. That's a huge compliment!

I loved the clean, fast-paced writing. Lots of twists and play on words. With the tagline: 'you'll never lo...more

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Mar 10, 2012 05Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Janitors

Who knew magical creatures, covert operations, janitors, and an elementary school could be brought together into a single book, let alone be entertaining. I certainly didn’t think so, until Janitors by Tyler Whitesides, was given to me by my grandparents as a Christmas gift. I will admit I wasn’t extremely sold on the topic, but decided to read it nonetheless. I soon became so captivated by the story, I could hardly put it down.

Janitors is about a boy named Spencer who, by a string of...more Janitors

Who knew magical creatures, covert operations, janitors, and an elementary school could be brought together into a single book, let alone be entertaining. I certainly didn’t think so, until Janitors by Tyler Whitesides, was given to me by my grandparents as a Christmas gift. I will admit I wasn’t extremely sold on the topic, but decided to read it nonetheless. I soon became so captivated by the story, I could hardly put it down.

Janitors is about a boy named Spencer who, by a string of incidents, ends up in a very sticky situation. One of these incidents enables Spencer to see magical creatures crawling around the school. When he meets Garth Hadley, a man from the National Bureau of Educational Maintenance (BEM), he is convinced by Garth to go on a secret mission to help defeat the BEM’s enemy, the evil warlock Walter Jamison. Spencer enlists the help of his friend Daisy, and the two set out to defeat the warlock. They soon find that the real bad guy is Garth and that they had been tricked them into helping him carry out the BEM’s evil plot. The rest of the story is about how Spencer and Daisy try to undo their mistake and stop the BEM.

One thing I liked about Janitors was the number of unexpected twists and turns. It kept me on my toes, always unsure of what was going to happen next. “They [the BEM] instructed all toxite-fighting janitors to step down and let the creatures take over.” This was a huge turning point in the book, and is the point when Spencer finally realizes the BEM is bad and the “rebel janitors” are actually the good guys fighting for the right cause.

Towards the end of the book, when it seemed like there is nothing more the Janitors could do to stop the BEM, Tyler Whitesides throws in yet another twist. Just as the BEM is about to destroy Walter’s domain by removing the school board from the school yet another complication is added. “And if you haven’t guessed it yet,’ Walter said. ‘The school board is actually your desk.’” This gives hope to the “rebels” and adds to the drama, and extends the reader’s anxiousness regarding what the outcome will be. This is one of the reasons I finished the book in two weeks. I wanted to keep reading to discover the final resolution. Just when it seemed like I was getting close to the end, there was another twist and the story continued.

A common theme running throughout the book is that people and things are not always as they seem to be at first. Tyler Whitesides uses this strategy to play around with the reader’s emotions and desire for a conclusion. I think this book is unique because, well, not many books are based on janitors. I would recommend Janitors to older age children and teens. The topic and amount of action is just right for that age group. Overall, I really liked this book.
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Mar 25, 2013 Hazen Wardle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Janitors go bad… It’s Percy Jackson and Harry Potter meet building maintenance engineers. ‘Janitors’ is a magical story that will sweep you off of your feet.
Spencer Zumbro is your typical 6th grader trying to fit in at a new school, although he tends to be a bit of neat and clean freak. One day he dozes off during algebra (who hasn’t?) and wakes to discover the class bully has decorated his face with a marker. Anxious to remove the obnoxious equations he races to the bathroom and the only t...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Jessie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, summer-2011

This is a cute fast read book. The author is a local Logan resident and this is his first novel. I liked it, but it wasn't fantastic. The students will like it. It has the flavor of a Brandon Mull book. I teach 7th grade, and I think it is a little young for my readers. I would put it on a 4th or 5th grade level. It is about some 6th graders, so I guess middle schoolers could read it. The author is coming to our school this year.
**stop for spoilers*** Spencer, a new kid at school, has no frien...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-fiction

A book about janitors doesn't sound too exciting does it? Well think again! Invisible creatures lurk in the school and suck the smarts right out of the minds of the school kids. Who's there to save the day? The janitors of course! They DO get some big help from Spencer and Daisy...two misfits from the sixth grade. Spencer happens upon some magical soap he finds in a bathroom, which he uses to scrub ink off his face. From then on Spencer can see strange creatures lurking all over the school! He c...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Heather Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A silly adventure with magical cleaning equipment, warlock janitors, and an evil corporation ready to overthrow education as we know it. This book doesn't take itself too seriously. It is fun, easy-going, and full of a few chuckles here-and-there. I tried really hard to enjoy the characters, but most of them annoyed me.

I would've liked to see more change and growth from the characters. Spencer had his moments with learning to tell the truth and not be such a chameleon, but what about everyone e...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Elaine Shandra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading the first half with my fifth grade student, it sat on my bookshelf for a month until I decided to just finish it. Typically I prefer to wait for the series to be over prior to reading/buying the book, but since the author came to the school, I went ahead and bought it anyway. My fifth grader liked the book as far as we managed to get before school ended, about halfway. (He'll have to borrow it from the library to read the rest over the summer.)

Although I liked listening to the pre...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hesitate to even begin to write my thoughts on this book, because if I had read this book at some other time I might have enjoyed the imaginative story more. My gut reaction to this book is that I have read similar books recently... a lot of them. I am begining to feel like they are all 'cookie cutter' books and essentially they are all the same... young boy or girl, new to his school or town, discovers that things aren't what they seem, that there is another world, or creatures unknown to mos...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Melinda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story was original, but the writing wasn't so great. I wish I could give this story 3 stars, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

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Nov 01, 2012 06tylerr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the book, "Janitors" by Tyler Whitesides. I liked it because it has action, adventure, mysteries and friendship. It kept me interested and I never knew what would happen next, so I kept reading. This book is a lot of fun!

The main problem that the book addresses is that the main character, Spencer, can see creatures around the school that others can't see. The setting is at the school. The story takes place at the elementary school before and after school hours.

There are three m...more I really liked the book, "Janitors" by Tyler Whitesides. I liked it because it has action, adventure, mysteries and friendship. It kept me interested and I never knew what would happen next, so I kept reading. This book is a lot of fun!

The main problem that the book addresses is that the main character, Spencer, can see creatures around the school that others can't see. The setting is at the school. The story takes place at the elementary school before and after school hours.

There are three main characters in the book. The first main character is Spencer who is bullied and is the first to use the magic soap, which enables him to see mysterious creatures. The next main character is Daisy, who is Spencer's best and only friend. The last main character is Marv, who is the big, hairy janitor who was accidentally killed by Spencer.

This story is about Spencer at Welcher Elementary. He washes his face with a jiggly substance in a bottle that enables him to see weird creatures that nobody else can see. Spencer doesn't have any friends until he starts talking to Daisy. They realize they have something in common which is that they both get bullied by Dez, the bully. Marv, the janitor, ends up being their friend too. They find out he is a wizard. Spencer and Daisy try to help Marv keep the magical wooden plank, bronze hammer, and nail away from the bad guys. You'll have to read the rest of the story to find out the ending!

There were two quotes that I liked. "You're a chameleon! And thems the worst kind of folks!", page 264. I liked it because it explained that Garth Hadley acted nice sometimes but was actually bad. The second one that I liked was "Who do you think I am, Rapunzel?", page 259. I thought this was funny because an evil women was grabbing Daisy by the leg and Spencer was pulling her by her hair.

I think that one theme of the book is that there are always consequences for our actions. One example is when Dez was suspended from school because he didn't follow the school rules.

I think people of all ages would like this book, espcially older elementary and jr high ages. I recommend it to everybody.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great adventure book for middle readers, and it really keeps up a good pace so you never get bored. It's about Spencer and Daisy a couple kids in grade 5(I think, it might be 6)anyways, who with the help of special soap can see creatures in their school that prevent the kids from learning. Spencer and Daisy are at first mislead by a BEM worker and enlisted to help steal a magical hammer and nail from the janitors. But later join up with the janitors to fight for the shcool.
I've heard a...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Ryan Burt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

2) Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy

3) Synopsis: You wouldn't know it unless you can see them but there are creatures in every grade school sucking on the brains of our children. The only thing between our children and stupidity is our Janitors.

4) Feelings: I admit I struggled with this book at the beginning. Not because it is a hard read but because I was expecting something else. Once I connected that it was a middle grade novel I enjoyed it much better. My wife read it...more

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May 12, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, series, 2011-whitney-award-eligible

My 11 year old told me, "Mom, you have to read this." Every so often she checks on me to make sure I'm still reading. She'll even look at my saved page and check which part I'm on.

A fun and wacky story about Spencer, a 6th grader who washes his face with the wrong soap at school. It turns out that the soap has magical properties and he can now see creatures that roam the elementary school hallways and sap the strength and motivation to learn from all the kids.

The characters in Janitors are livel...more

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Jan 01, 2012 04madelines rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main issue of the book is that Spencer and Daisy has to stop Garth Hadely and his team from getting the warlock power so kids stop learning! The setting is in a school called Welcher Elementry school. The main charachters are Spencer who is very germophobe and is the first one to see the little creatures. Daisy is Spencers best friend, she is nice and very gullible. Marv the janitor is slient and does his work well. Then there is Garth hadely. The man who is working with the BEM who wants t...more

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Sep 07, 2011 B.K. Bostick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having worked in schools most of my career (and getting to know a couple of pecuilar janitors), I thoroughly enjoyed Tyler Whiteside's story. He takes the seemingly ordinary and mundane and transforms them into something magical. I used to be a teacher and now I don't feel so bad thinking about all the kids who slept through my class. It wasn't my fault- it was the Toxites all along!

I particularly enjoyed Daisy's gullible character. The main character, Spencer, also had his quirks about cleanli...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Richard (Rick) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: upper-elementary

I had heard this was an excellent series, so I was excited to begin it. I found it instead to be very juvenile. Yes, it is juvenile fiction, but I don't believe juvenile fiction has to be juvenile! In fact, I wish less of it were. This, I felt, was. Case in point, the first chapter describes in agonizing detail the spitting of spit wads by a bully all over a classroom while the teacher is gone. Not really a very engaging entry to the book. I read a few more chapters, and it didn't really get muc...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Handd51 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-2011

The unknown (to me) publisher sent me (and probably many others) an advance copy with info about an essay contest for students in grades 4-6 in the fall. Since my teachers love contests, I wanted to check the book out - so I read it. It is cute, but not earth-shattering - a standard adventure/quest plot with janitors as magical beings (good & bad) and students as the heroes. I'm not sure that kids will love this as much as the poublisher is hyping it - especially given the didactic passages...more

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Dec 05, 2011 07SpencerT rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spencer and his family move to his uncle and aunt’s to watch it while his uncle and aunt are away. He goes to Welcher Elementary. His face gets written on when he falls asleep in class, so he washes it of some soap he finds next to the sink. The soap gives him the ability to see toxins, small creatures that keep kids from learning. He also learns that the janitors at his school exterminate toxins, and make and distribute supplies to kill the toxins. He pulls, extremely gullible, Daisy into the j...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Emily Adams rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so surprised when I saw an advertisement for this book and recognized the author as a boy I went to high school with! Ty Whitesides is a terrific kid and super talented, so it was exciting to see that he had his work published. For that reason alone I read the book, but ended up completely charmed with the concept and the execution of the story. It is a perfect book for elementary/junior high students, and I found myself smiling several times at the clever premise that there are invisible...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Alicia Sheehy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-faves

You may not be one of Tyler Whitesides’ Toxites from his Middle Grade Fantasy JANITORS; a slimy Grime, a furry Filth, or a winged Rubbish, but you could be a chameleon which may be even worse.
During their adventures and training, the main character, Spencer and his sidekick, Daisy, not only have to worry about the class bully, Dez, but the creatures that their classmates can’t see. It gets worse when they struggle to decipher whether the school janitors or the Bureau of Educational Maintenance...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Giveaways: Giveaway - Janitors Series Set	1	10	Nov 01, 2012 11:35am
Giveaways and Con...: Giveaway - Janitors Series Set	1	4	Nov 01, 2012 11:34am
Free Book Giveaway: Giveaway - Janitors Series Set	1	3	Nov 01, 2012 11:34am
Book Giveaways: Giveaway - Janitors Series Set	1	3	Nov 01, 2012 11:33am
Janitors by: Tyler Whitesides	1	4	Sep 11, 2012 12:50pm

title link	preview: Janitors
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