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Story Time

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 627 ratings · 92 reviews

George and Kate are promised the finest education when they transfer to the Whittaker Magnet School. It boasts the highest test scores in the nation. But at what price? Their school's curriculum is focused on beating standardized tests; classes are held in dreary, windowless rooms; and students are force-fed noxious protein shakes to improve their test performance. Worst o

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Paperback, 444 pages

Published August 1st 2005 by Graphia (first published October 1st 2001)

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Jun 02, 2009 Jacki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

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...more 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 too neatly in the resolution, but then starts to split at the seams just as the book ends so that the reader becomes haunted with the possibilities of what could happen.

Pogo's character was well created. Her involvement in the plot was mysterious and endearing; every line she spoke was precariously chosen; and her ability to pull power tools out from under her dress was awesome! How in the world did she hold them up there? Did she have a giant harness under her dress? I don't know, but I loved her.

Favorite quotes:

"All right. Here is the story about your father: He wanted to get married; we got married. The minister gave us a Certificate of Marriage. He wanted to have a baby; we had you. The doctor gave us a Certificate of Live Birth. Then he wanted to get divorced; we got divorced. the lawyer gave me a Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage.
I put the papers in a safe deposit box at the King's County Savings and Loan. They all look basically the same."

"These masterpieces of design, materials, and imagination raised combat casualty levels around the world to previously unrecorded heights." (bleak outlook on what we praise in our country)

The First Lady kneeled next to one little girl. She put an arm around her, smiled, and said, "This is one of my favorite books, too. Tell me what you like best about it."
The little girl smiled back and replied, "It contains excellent modeling of the phoneme-grapheme representation g-r." (our schools, everyone!)

(In the next bit, the reader knows the rolling refrigerator has two dead bodies in it)
"The First Lady would like a beverage."
"Ah! Excellent." Cornelia looked around for the rolling refigerator. She spotted it off to her left, where Kate and George had parked it. She curtsied to the First Lady, walked over, and opened the lid. Then she let out a horrified scream.
Agent McCoy unholstered his revolver.
Rosetta leaped to her feet. "What is it? What happened?"
Cornelia slammed down the lid, spun around, and asked, "Does the First Lady drink regular or diet?" (less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Amy Snyder rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Aug 20, 2012 Dan Keating rated it 1 of 5 stars

It legitimately pains me to be writing this review. Bloor's "Tangerine" is, and will probably always be, my favorite young adult novel ever, but after reading his "Crusader" and now this, I've come to accept that Bloor hasn't been able to duplicate the success of his first novel - while duplicating many thematic elements in a way that reveals his writing as somewhat formulaic.

Story Time tells the story of eighth grade Kate and her sixth grade Uncle George and their family, as Kate and George are...more It legitimately pains me to be writing this review. Bloor's "Tangerine" is, and will probably always be, my favorite young adult novel ever, but after reading his "Crusader" and now this, I've come to accept that Bloor hasn't been able to duplicate the success of his first novel - while duplicating many thematic elements in a way that reveals his writing as somewhat formulaic.

Story Time tells the story of eighth grade Kate and her sixth grade Uncle George and their family, as Kate and George are enrolled in the Whittaker Magnet School, which utilizes an over-the-top satirical "test-based curriculum," which is so focused on standardized testing that when an English teacher puts up a Shakespeare poster in her room, since Shakespeare doesn't appear in standardized testing the school's headmaster fires her on the spot. The story focuses on Kate and George's dissatisfaction with their school and their attempts to uncover the supernatural events there, which routinely result in horrific injuries, and how those events are related to various problems in their own personal lives.

The snapshot above of a teacher being fired on the spot for putting up a Shakespeare poster can pretty much prepare you for the tone of most of Story Time. The first family of King's County, the Whittaker-Austins, who rule the school (which is also a public library built by their ancestor Cornell Whittaker Number One - yes, that was his name, according to the story), are consistently portrayed in as over-the-top a manner as possible, from promoting their own empty-headed children as superstars to covering up murders in order to save the reputation of the school. While their antics do occasionally merit real loathing - the matriarch, Cornelia, dismissing an accusation of sexual harassment against her son due to the accuser having no witnesses - the fact that they're utter caricatures, and nothing else but, keeps them from being truly effective antagonists. As such, it appears that Bloor is using as inspiration the Wormwoods from Roald Dahl's Mathilda and the Dursleys from Harry Potter. However, the Dursleys manage to be fleshed out into three-dimensional, if whimsically satirical, characters (largely on the strength of JK Rowling's prose), and the Wormwoods, while unquestionably abusive and bad, never go so far as to sweep sexual harassment or murder under the rug for their own gain. As such the Whittaker-Austins leave a big hole in the novel, and every time they appear the reader groans, knowing pretty much what to expect next.

The novel's whimsical tone is inconsistent as well. The realistic concerns of some characters are overshadowed by the satirical excesses of others. For instance: George and Kate's family are required to work at the school/library in order to pay for their tuition. George's parents (Kate's grandparents) are only ever shown clogging; whether they have professions that support the family is unclear, but it is clear that they're required to work six hours a day, three days a week, at the library. For just about anyone who already has a job to support their family, the idea of throwing in an extra 18 hours a week is mind-numbing; however this is not directly addressed as being a particular hardship. This lapse in realism would be excusable if the novel stuck to its whimsical tone, but characters like Kate and George are grounded in realistic logic; even their experience of the ghost/demon is grounded in a realistic description of what they see and how they reason through to understanding what it is. The disparity makes the whole thing confusing, especially leaving the reader wondering why George, the critical thinker of the group, hasn't raised the issue.

Finally, the main characters themselves lack enough depth to really make them stand out. As with so many stories today this can be attributed to pace issues - the novel is in such a hurry to make things happen that character growth is largely left behind. These issues are highlighted most by Kate, who is arguably the central character of the novel and whose struggle, with social alienation at Whittaker and with her parents' broken marriage, is the most emotional of the novel; despite several scenes in which we begin to see Kate growing as a character - including heart-wrenching scenes where she examines her mostly-pitiful mother and says to herself, as though addressing her absentee father, "I would leave her too," and later when she realizes that her mother does care and try to protect her - overall that growth is limited and given second priority to more far-flung antics from the novel's flat antagonists. Also complicating issues of character growth is June, Kate's mother, who more or less makes a decision to stop being emotionally traumatized and finally tell her daughter why her father left and why she's been a mouse of a person ever since; while there is some lead-in to this growth on June's part, there isn't nearly enough.

Bloor's points about the status of public education, and the emphasis on standardized testing, are good ones, but they're so wrapped in emotionally-empty caricature that it just doesn't feel like it means anything. "Tangerine" was so successful, in my view, because it relied on the strong characterization of Paul Fisher to tell its politically-charged story. "Story Time" tries to rely more on the Whittaker-Austins, who are intentionally one-dimensional and just not interesting enough to be the driving force of the novel.

"Story Time" very greatly disappointed me. I don't know that I'll be sampling any more of Bloor's writing - I certainly won't be purchasing blind any more of his books, which, I'm ashamed to admit, is primarily how I pick up new literature. In the end, I wouldn't recommend this book, even to people who are interested in the debate around standardized testing - because if you're familiar with the debate, you won't really get anything out of this book, and if you're not familiar, sadly a list of "cons" on website would do pretty much everything for you that this book could. (less)

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Mar 16, 2010 BarkLessWagMore rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, fiction, dnf

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...more

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Apr 11, 2007 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007reads, teen, speculative-fiction, library

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.

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Jun 06, 2009 Nora rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: older-elementary

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...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Josh rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 29, 2010 Josiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 books. The plo...more 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 books. The plot isn't wound as tensely; in fact, many of the events that occur in the story seem to be reacted to with almost unbelievable calm by the main characters. People die in gruesome ways and there is very little lasting effect on the characters, even when they witness the deaths first-hand, sometimes standing but a few feet away from the victims. It takes a little while to get used to that unusual cadence to the story, and to realize that it's all very much intended by the author. Story Time is just as much satire as it is mystery, adventure or drama, and it should be read with that in mind.

Whittaker Magnet School is a...different kind of place. It is a school obsessed—beyond what the confines of rationality would ever allow—with standardized test scores, and how to get its students to achieve higher scores than any other school in the country. Beyond the test scores, however, is a lurking maze of secrets, lies and coverups that threatens the futures of everyone at the school, though few of the students understand the extent of the danger. Is there some kind of a vicious demon driving the worst of the bizzare behavior at Whittaker? Do the Whittaker family representatives know more about it then they are willing to say?

Edward Bloor is so good at writing glowing adventure that pops out from the page with its awesome rhythm and superior skillfulness that the points of beautiful wisdom in his stories can really sneak up on the reader. Story Time may be an over-the-top satire, but that is balanced with some moments of serene observation that magnificently reflect the most terrible and wonderful aspects of what it means to be a human, to throw one's lot out into a world that can be frightening and to hope for some personal success.

At its best, the narrative of Story Time moves along with incredible pace and fervor, as Edward Bloor shows yet again what he is capable of doing when he clicks on all cylinders. It is a solidly performed novel that is very much worth reading, and will leave an indelible impression in the minds of all who choose to experience it.

I would probably give two and a half stars to Story Time, but I would consider the full three. (less)

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Dec 11, 2008 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 hurt...more

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Jan 17, 2009 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ya, mystery

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. (Thanks Bush. Don't let the d...more

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Jun 13, 2013 Zach rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nkl

I am 150 pages into this book and will not be going any further -- which is a shame. The premise is great. There's so much about the troubling state of the current American educational apparatus that needs satirizing. But this novel doesn't work as satire, because it tries too hard, but at the same time doesn't try hard enough. Its two young protagonists (Kate and George) are thoughtful, logical, and emotionally appealing, yet everyone else is a lopsided caricature. There are many awkward or abr...more

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Mar 13, 2011 ThatStalkerGirlBehindYouWhoIsAlsoACreeper *Sklip* WhoIsAlsoAHighlySkilledNinja ~piRAtEPrINcEsS~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 created. Each character w...more

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Oct 02, 2009 Melina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-1st-time-reads, adventure, fiction, friendship, gifted, owned, school-read, social-issues, young-young-adult

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 really en...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story is very unique and nothing like anything I've ever read before. An octopus-shaped school district, a good school cursed by day-long tests and books that house demons, and a genius uncle in 6th grade with an 8th grade niece. Oh, we can't forget the little "mute" girl who speaks only in rhymes, whose will to help her friends; the uncle and his niece; unintentionally hurts and even kills others. She uses a dangerous secret that has been long denied, hidden in between the pages of an anti...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Penelope Bartotto rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is another one of those books my teenage daughter brought home from her book club and once she had read it she was pretty adamant that I would like it too. What can I say she knows her mama loves a good book, and she is catching on to what styles of books intrigue me the most. She's been pretty spot on with all of the recommendations she has made. This was no exception!
Ultimately quirky, with some highly unique characters, the story takes you into the twisted and dark side of what education...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Julie S. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2011, books-matthew-should-read, books-thomas-should-read, smart-kids-and-teens, childrens-and-middle-grade, own, own-and-would-recommend, funny

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 public monuments to himself."

H...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Jada rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

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Apr 08, 2010 Dilan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade-ir-books-sadelle

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.

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Mar 28, 2013 Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction

While this book doesn't always tie together, its satire on a school that focuses on getting the highest standardized test scores is...unfortunately, barely satire but rather very close to the truth these days. Kindergartners having "bubble time" so their pencil marks don't stray? Protein shakes for kids whose scores are a bit low? Treadmill before testing? Daily practice tests? Ensuring your school keeps its best test-takers? Sounding familiar?

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Apr 27, 2011 Amanda Michelle is currently reading it

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.

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Jan 20, 2011 Tayanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

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.

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May 25, 2011 Sean Kottke added it

Shelves: ya

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.

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Dec 23, 2009 Kendall rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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Mar 24, 2008 TamTam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-reads, fantasy, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 26, 2009 Kyra rated it 5 of 5 stars

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.

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Aug 29, 2010 Cait rated it 4 of 5 stars

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.

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May 06, 2011 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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Feb 10, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-ya, education, thrills-and-chills, fantasy-and-magic

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.

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Aug 12, 2009 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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Feb 21, 2009 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

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!!!!

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About Edward Bloor

Edward (William) Bloor

Personal Information: Born October 12, 1950, in Trenton, NJ; son of Edward William and Mary (Cowley) Bloor; married Pamela Dixon (a teacher), August 4, 1984. Father to a daughter and a son. Education: Fordham University, B.A., 1973.

Career: Novelist and editor. English teacher in Florida public high schools, 1983-86; Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Orlando, FL, senior editor...more

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