George and Kate are promised the finest education when they transfer to the Whittaker Magnet School. It boasts the highest test scores in the na... read full description
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Jun 02, 2009
Jacki
rated it: 
It took me about a hundred pages to finally admit that I was into this book. Bloor builds his story carefully. The book is long, but the chapters are short and, honestly, I couldn't tell you what happened in any given chapter. But by the climax, the reader is wrapped up in a very big, crazy, funny, terrible event that goes beyond anything I could have come up with. It's a social satire that turns very dark and hits some pretty creepy notes on the supernatural side. It wraps itself up a little to
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Mar 16, 2010
BarkLessWagMore
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This is a good satire on the current state of our education system and the No Child Left Behind program. In this story 8th grader Kate and her genius uncle George (who is actually younger than her) are invited to attend the Whittaker Magnet School. George, who is a bit of genius, is thrilled but Kate, notsomuch. The Whittaker Magnet School is the last place Kate wants to go. She loves her public school and has been practicing her whole life for the lead in their production of Peter Pan. She's al
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Apr 11, 2007
Brandy
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This struck me as what would happen if Lemony Snicket wrote a book with a more realistic setting and plot. And, um, with demons. And standardized testing. And superweapons. So I guess it's maybe not so realistic at all. But it still had a certain Lemony Snicket-esque vibe in the wordplay and the sarcasm.
Ah, hell. I can't be articulate. I liked it. It was good.
Ah, hell. I can't be articulate. I liked it. It was good.
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Jun 06, 2009
Nora
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I love Tangerine, so I was expecting to love this. Story Time is about a school that has kids take standardized tests all day, every day, to improve their scores. The government thinks the school is AMAZING from the test scores, but we know better. Bloor's Tangerine was a terrific, funny satire on environmental issues and from this book jacket, I was expecting a similar satire on today's standardized testing. But Bloor added this whole demon thing to the plot that just didn't work. It was a devi
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Jun 26, 2010
Josh
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Jul 29, 2010
Josiah
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In 1997, author Edward Bloor took the literary world captive with the lightning-fast, suspense-packed writing in his first novel, Tangerine. His follow-up to Tangerine, Crusader, once again teleported readers to a darkly mysterious world in which nothing was quite what it seemed, where people who seemed good could turn out to be the vilest of villains, and those who appeared to be bad might end up saving the day in the end.
Story Time is actually quite different from those earlier b More...
Story Time is actually quite different from those earlier b More...
Dec 11, 2008
Rebecca
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I had a hard time slogging through it, it didn't really capture my interest. It's intended as a scathing criticism of standardized testing and education, but that's such a minimal part of the book, it's more like tepid criticism. The paranormal parts weren't very interesting or exciting, and the characters, other than Uncle George, were flat. I like demons as much as the next person, but we learned so little about them, where they came from, why they were in the book, and why they liked to hu
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Jun 11, 2011
Deleese
rated it:
"Story Time" is a quickly paced and quite sarcastic novel. Chapters are short and to the point. I particularly enjoyed the chapter titles. Middle school and up will find something to enjoy. Just at the point I felt that the mad-cap Keystone Cop style wind up for the ending was wearing thin, it straightened out and brought me home to a satisfying ending.
I thoroughly enjoy sharp jabs at educational cure-alls such as our current need for accountability supposedly made legiti More...
I thoroughly enjoy sharp jabs at educational cure-alls such as our current need for accountability supposedly made legiti More...
Jan 17, 2009
Shelley
rated it:
I loved this. Part ghost-story, part satire, a good story that makes it's point without losing the elements of good storytelling.
If you have a child in public school, you are familiar with the horror that the "Test Based Curriculum." You know, "teaching to the test", meaning standardized testing? Designed by androids whose only desire is to suck every scrap of joy and wonder out of learning, this unmitigated crap is the current standard here in the good old US of A. (Th More...
If you have a child in public school, you are familiar with the horror that the "Test Based Curriculum." You know, "teaching to the test", meaning standardized testing? Designed by androids whose only desire is to suck every scrap of joy and wonder out of learning, this unmitigated crap is the current standard here in the good old US of A. (Th More...
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Mar 13, 2011
Best paranormal book I've read in a long time. It's better than all the paranormal romances that keep coming out lol!
I really liked the idea of a haunted college-prep school that branches out. There's really nothing to say, but it's fast-paced and full of interesting little bits of information and kept my attention the whole time.
I don't really have a favorite character or a hated character in this book for some reason. However, the characters in this book was amazingly c More...
I really liked the idea of a haunted college-prep school that branches out. There's really nothing to say, but it's fast-paced and full of interesting little bits of information and kept my attention the whole time.
I don't really have a favorite character or a hated character in this book for some reason. However, the characters in this book was amazingly c More...
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Oct 02, 2009
Melina
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Oh, the evils of standardised testing. This book begins when George, young genius, gets a letter telling him that he has been accepted into the Whittaker Magnet School, which has the best standardised test scores in the country. Kate, his niece who is two years older than him is also accepted, because suddenly the school district has 'octopused' to take in their duplex house. When they reach the school they find a place of green children, anonymous teachers and quite possibly a demon.
I More...
I More...
Jan 19, 2012
Julie
rated it: 
I loved this book. It was such an interesting look at schools and testing. It had so many running references: Peter Pan, the mutant octopus-shaped school district, clogging, Pogo's quote-talking, and best of all, Andrew Carnegie.
My favorite passage:
Whit then resumed. He pointed behind the audience to the entryway. "A brief history lesson: Andrew Carnegie, the nineteenth-century robber baron, near the end of his life, decided to build a series of public libraries as p More...
My favorite passage:
Whit then resumed. He pointed behind the audience to the entryway. "A brief history lesson: Andrew Carnegie, the nineteenth-century robber baron, near the end of his life, decided to build a series of public libraries as p More...
Feb 23, 2010
Jada
rated it:
This book was AMAZING! The thing that I personally liked about it was that it was in between a scary book and a funny book. Story Time had its moments, but it was mainy scary. All that happens is that these people get possessed by ghosts, but it sounds scraier than it really is.Edward Bloor Story Time
Apr 08, 2010
Dilan
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This book is about George and Kate they are family and they both got accepted to a school called Whittaker Magnet School a school for genius'. They soon discover that the place is not as perfect as the owners make it seem. They discover many disturbing things and are trying to break free from their command.
I liked this book because it was full of mystery and it was a little hard to understand some parts but overall it was good.
I rated this book 4.
I liked this book because it was full of mystery and it was a little hard to understand some parts but overall it was good.
I rated this book 4.
Apr 27, 2011
So far, good, not great. It’s a bit boring, but it's very unique. Pogo really intrigues me! I don't understand her AT ALL! I'm so curious as to her background and intentions! I also DO NOT like Molly! I think she's a bad example for Kate. I think it's sad how Kate and Junes relationship is so rocky, it's probably because of her dad leaving... Hmmm. Well I have to read this for school, and so far it’s worth my time.
Jan 20, 2011
Tayanna
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I love this book it was the absolute best. The characters all were used in great purpose. Others I gave the book also loved it. I think a lot of people might. It has mystery and some comedy. I like how it makes fun schools and their standerized test scores, how serious they are and how far they are willing to go to have the smartest kids in their school to be the best school in the district. Everyone should read this book.
Dec 15, 2011
Grace
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This book is AMAZING! It's about these two kids that get accepted into the Wittaker Magnet School. The whole curriculum is a test based. All they do is take test and go over the answers ALL day. They boost scores by forcing the students to eat smoothies all day. And by the back of the book, there is a demon that's murder has just begun, though I haven't gotten there yet, but so far it is AMAZING! I would definetly recommend this to anyone that like mystery, action or just a good book!
May 25, 2011
Ever suspect that there's something demonic at the heart of the standardized testing movement? Join Kate and her two-years-younger uncle George as they enter the Whitaker Magnet School, a mysterious place that recruits the best test takers from surrounding school districts to earn the school more tax money by training them to excel even further on tests.
Dec 23, 2009
Kendall
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This was a pretty good book. I read it because we had to read Tangerine for school, and I enjoyed it. The end of this book, actually midway into it, was pretty confusing. I liked the beginning much better than the end. It got too supernaturally intense for me toward the end. I like supernaturally intense, but it wasn't what I expected in this book.
Mar 24, 2008
Tamir
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 26, 2009
Kyra
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I'm sorry to all the 'naysayers' out there, but this is one of my favorite books of all time. It's darkly sarcastic, witty and everything an author named "Edward Bloor" should write. I've reread this novel many times and have yet to get sick of it. It gives me nightmares and tingles in my spine, just as it should.
Aug 29, 2010
Cait
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I greatly enjoyed this book, even if the description on the back of the book is far from what you find within the pages. It's a well-crafted, fun (if not dark, as well) book, but I felt like I was gypped out of more satire about the 'teaching to the test' phenomenon that is so common in public schools.
May 06, 2011
Marie
rated it:
George and Kate are attending the Whitaker Magnet School. It uses Test Based Curriculum, TBC, to teach the students. Lots of funny bits, but overall it's very much on focus about Standardized Testing. TBC = BAD. A demon who lives in a few very old books gets loose. Lots of weird librarians.
Feb 10, 2011
Sara
rated it:
The positive: A savage look at high-stakes testing, an interesting mystery, funny in places.
The negative: Bloor's books always confuse me. The number of subplots, and their complexity...They are always enjoyable, but sometimes feel forced or confusing.
The summary: A good read, but not one I'll read again.
The negative: Bloor's books always confuse me. The number of subplots, and their complexity...They are always enjoyable, but sometimes feel forced or confusing.
The summary: A good read, but not one I'll read again.
Aug 12, 2009
Rebecca
rated it:
I remember this book took me a looong time to get through, and I'm not sure that I even enjoyed it all that much, but for some reason it's stuck with me really strongly and still pops into my head very often, so I think that counts for something.
Feb 21, 2009
Hannah
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This book caught me from the beginning. I love all the intensity of the demons and and George and Kate are just the average(except George being a genius) kids that uncover a mystery in their new school. I would read this book over and over and over if their weren't other books.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
Oct 01, 2011
Cindy
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Bloor manages to point out everything that is wrong with test based curriculu, while not missing any of the necessary things in a good ghost story - love, redemption, and mysterious activities - and Pogo, who only speaks in nursery rhymes, is a bonus character!
Jan 10, 2008
Bethany
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Edward Bloor is well-known for his young adult fiction, particularly his book Tangerine (which I read and enjoyed.) I was not quite as thrilled with Story Time. This book is definitely satire, but Bloor has not quite gotten the hang of writing in this genre yet. I still felt manipulated by the text rather than feeling that it caused me to think about the issues at hand: in this case, the prevalence of standardized testing in schools.
The best part of the book, for me, was the after More...
The best part of the book, for me, was the after More...
Jul 14, 2009
Deviki
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I like this book very much .....i feel like i could go on reading this book until i reach the last page....read it in 4 days LOL....very good book ...i do recommend it to young readers and children
Feb 05, 2009
I was probably halfway through this book, but I got it from the library, had already renewed it, and had to return it. I need to buy it and read it again, I was enjoying it.
