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The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School
Something strange is happening to the sixth grade—and it’s up to student scientist Wilmer Dooley to crack the case in this fast-paced novel full of humor and mystery.
If there’s one important thing Wilmer Dooley’s dad always says, it’s “Where are my car keys?”
Okay, maybe not that. He also “Observe!”
Wilmer has always known that the greatest science comes from the keenest observations. So when he observes his classmates looking a little green…and orange...and chartreuse-fuchsia polka-dotted...he knows that it’s up to him to find the cause of this mysterious illness—and the cure.
But with his arch nemesis, Claudius Dill, hot on his heels; the eagle-eyed biology teacher, Mrs. Padgett, determined to thwart his plans; and a host of fluorescent classmates bouncing off the walls at increasingly dangerous speeds, can Wilmer prove he has what it takes to save the sixth grade from a colorful demise before it’s too late?
If there’s one important thing Wilmer Dooley’s dad always says, it’s “Where are my car keys?”
Okay, maybe not that. He also “Observe!”
Wilmer has always known that the greatest science comes from the keenest observations. So when he observes his classmates looking a little green…and orange...and chartreuse-fuchsia polka-dotted...he knows that it’s up to him to find the cause of this mysterious illness—and the cure.
But with his arch nemesis, Claudius Dill, hot on his heels; the eagle-eyed biology teacher, Mrs. Padgett, determined to thwart his plans; and a host of fluorescent classmates bouncing off the walls at increasingly dangerous speeds, can Wilmer prove he has what it takes to save the sixth grade from a colorful demise before it’s too late?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 21, 2013
I found this one to be a little too over the top and not in a good way. A bully teacher, impossibly oblivious parents, and unrealistic science and consequences.
I felt that this really had potential. I was excited to receive it. I love it when fiction blends science for a fun story. But this just didn't seem to have it.
The Good: I liked the journal entries that began each chapter. I liked the respect shown for the scientific process (what a school where the end-of-year science award is so prestigious!). I liked the over-analysis Wilmer puts toward figuring out Roxie. The gross-out factor will be a draw.
The Bad: The characters seemed a bit younger than 6th grade. Fourth maybe, but not 6th. Wilmer's parents were annoying, self-absorbed, and completely oblivious to their children. I'm sorry, but the notion of having children with a epidemic like this and NO ONE but two rival 6th graders are trying to look into a cure is just hard to believe. As is the idea of SugarBUZZZZ being a good thing to eat.
I may be reading into it a little, but it was just hard to swallow on many occasions. (No pun intended.)
I felt that this really had potential. I was excited to receive it. I love it when fiction blends science for a fun story. But this just didn't seem to have it.
The Good: I liked the journal entries that began each chapter. I liked the respect shown for the scientific process (what a school where the end-of-year science award is so prestigious!). I liked the over-analysis Wilmer puts toward figuring out Roxie. The gross-out factor will be a draw.
The Bad: The characters seemed a bit younger than 6th grade. Fourth maybe, but not 6th. Wilmer's parents were annoying, self-absorbed, and completely oblivious to their children. I'm sorry, but the notion of having children with a epidemic like this and NO ONE but two rival 6th graders are trying to look into a cure is just hard to believe. As is the idea of SugarBUZZZZ being a good thing to eat.
I may be reading into it a little, but it was just hard to swallow on many occasions. (No pun intended.)
September 3, 2013
Middle-grade humor novels can be difficult. You can toe the line between gross out and potty humor, or you can fall too far in either direction. You can go the more clean, chaste route and risk making no one smile at all. The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School ultimately tries to be many things to many people and ends up succeeding in only a few of them. With a little gross-out, a lot of attempted heart, some science to go along with it, it may appeal to a lot of readers who see the cover and think the concept is great, but the execution ultimately left me lacking and wishing I was reading other better books like it. May be right for some kids, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first choice.
May 24, 2013
How can you not love a story that starts with a 6th grade boy deciding girls are similar to Black Widow Spiders? That is the lead in where we meet Wilmer, an admitted science geek and 6th grade student at Mumpley Middle School.
From the clever asides provided by Wilmer, his fascination with science, an admittedly odd mother who takes flavouring suggestions from a toddler, a scientist father who spends his days experimenting in the basement this story has so many elements to laugh at and be intrigued by.
When his classmates begin to turn colors with green noses, pink ears, purple puke: Wilmer’s curiosity is piqued and his fascination with communicable diseases kicks into overdrive. Comparing the neon polka dotted outbreak to the Black Plague in Europe, Wilmer is convinced he will have the winning entry for the science prize at year end: foiling his archenemy Claudius Dill.
With clever illustrations and a simplistic yet wholly correctly plotted series of experiments and steps to determine the cause, Fowler DeWitt manages to make science approachable and interesting for young readers. Wilmer’s family adds the right touch of hilarity and parental ignorance, and the other students and school scenes being perfectly aligned to move the story forward and maintain interest.
I giggled and was cheering Wilmer on as he collected his samples, muddled through the dinner hour at home, and postulated on possible causal agents. A book that will spark interest in all young readers.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review for Children Read week at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
From the clever asides provided by Wilmer, his fascination with science, an admittedly odd mother who takes flavouring suggestions from a toddler, a scientist father who spends his days experimenting in the basement this story has so many elements to laugh at and be intrigued by.
When his classmates begin to turn colors with green noses, pink ears, purple puke: Wilmer’s curiosity is piqued and his fascination with communicable diseases kicks into overdrive. Comparing the neon polka dotted outbreak to the Black Plague in Europe, Wilmer is convinced he will have the winning entry for the science prize at year end: foiling his archenemy Claudius Dill.
With clever illustrations and a simplistic yet wholly correctly plotted series of experiments and steps to determine the cause, Fowler DeWitt manages to make science approachable and interesting for young readers. Wilmer’s family adds the right touch of hilarity and parental ignorance, and the other students and school scenes being perfectly aligned to move the story forward and maintain interest.
I giggled and was cheering Wilmer on as he collected his samples, muddled through the dinner hour at home, and postulated on possible causal agents. A book that will spark interest in all young readers.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review for Children Read week at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
February 23, 2014
fun read for upper elementary which suffers from 2 flaws:
1. dumb as dirt adults all around
2. the main realization being obvious but taking a long time to be realized.
despite that this is a cute read and a fun one with at least 2 important messages... 1. observe everything 2. consider your diet
1. dumb as dirt adults all around
2. the main realization being obvious but taking a long time to be realized.
despite that this is a cute read and a fun one with at least 2 important messages... 1. observe everything 2. consider your diet
September 7, 2021
This book was just okay, and I was saddened by that because it seemed so promising! I read this with my almost 8 year old... while he enjoyed the chapters being long so I spent a lengthy time reading with him each night, I felt they were a bit too long. It was very wordy in places it didn't need to be. If the chapters had been shorter that would've helped the book out a bit. Also, things were a bit too stretched, even for a book, for it to feel relateable. The teacher was overly dramatic and so intense it wasn't believeable, yes I know, it is a fiction, but come now... The parents were also just ridiculous, specifically mom. I just overall did not enjoy this book. I would have given less stars, but my son did enjoy it so I compromised.
March 31, 2022
One of the BoB choices for 2022. This one was enjoyable and *extremely* silly. Good vocabulary and unique structure with multiple narrative choices. I thought it was about 100 pages too long though. Would be a fun read aloud in a science class or a FCF pick. Grades 3-6
August 12, 2025
Sorry I’m rating this as an adult. My kids really liked it! I just thought the humor was low quality and I hated how incredibly stupid/oblivious the author made the parents.
November 30, 2013
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School tells the story of a boy named Wilmer Dooley, whose aim is to win the 6th grade science fair. So when a literal plague falls into his lap, he cannot help but find the cure for it. To help the now colorful students of Mumpley Middle School, he must find out what is causing them to change colors and become so overactive. Seemingly unaffected, Wilmer must take all the clues he can find to solve the mystery and save the day – with the perk of maybe winning the science fair.
His archnemesis Claudius Dill wants the prize for his own and is willing to do anything to get it, even if it involves inventing a fake cure and sabotaging Wilmer's own progress. I thought the plot was a bit silly from the start and the clues were right out there right from the beginning. Wilmer's family was a bit out of this world, his own father being a scientist. I found it strange and rather disturbing that his mother cooked with inanimate objects like shoes or medication like athlete's foot cream. Yet the whole family ate these meals, without dying nonetheless.
Beyond that is an over-the-top teacher who hates Wilmer for no reason beyond him always answering questions correctly and wanting to use her own lab in after school hours. In fact, she prefers his archnemesis Claudius who is obviously a bad student and kind of a bad kid in general, always doing what he can to steal the show from Wilmer.
As much as I wanted to like this book, I just felt disconnected from the plot. Having never enjoyed science myself, I couldn't connect with Wilmer as a character and I felt it was way to unrealistic in every aspect, even for a fantasy/science fiction book. There may be students out there that love science and the idea of a colorful plague needing to be solved.
Final Verdict: Although The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School is not quite the book for me, but I can see how it can appeal to some students. I just felt it was all a bit over the top for most of the book.
His archnemesis Claudius Dill wants the prize for his own and is willing to do anything to get it, even if it involves inventing a fake cure and sabotaging Wilmer's own progress. I thought the plot was a bit silly from the start and the clues were right out there right from the beginning. Wilmer's family was a bit out of this world, his own father being a scientist. I found it strange and rather disturbing that his mother cooked with inanimate objects like shoes or medication like athlete's foot cream. Yet the whole family ate these meals, without dying nonetheless.
Beyond that is an over-the-top teacher who hates Wilmer for no reason beyond him always answering questions correctly and wanting to use her own lab in after school hours. In fact, she prefers his archnemesis Claudius who is obviously a bad student and kind of a bad kid in general, always doing what he can to steal the show from Wilmer.
As much as I wanted to like this book, I just felt disconnected from the plot. Having never enjoyed science myself, I couldn't connect with Wilmer as a character and I felt it was way to unrealistic in every aspect, even for a fantasy/science fiction book. There may be students out there that love science and the idea of a colorful plague needing to be solved.
Final Verdict: Although The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School is not quite the book for me, but I can see how it can appeal to some students. I just felt it was all a bit over the top for most of the book.
March 5, 2015
This book mainly talks about contagious colors that makes other people in very bad situations mostly (sickness). Which is incredibly funny how the book shows it and pronounces it. Wilmer Dooley the protagonist is the person that invents the contagious colors that makes Sickness. I think it is very crazy to make contagious sickness and colors. This boy for now is so crazy and brave. He makes plans that are bad to other people in a smart way.
This book is wonderful. It has allot of adventure and funny at the same time. I love this book because it has craziness and allot of imagination at the same time. The contagious thing in the book is only colors that make people sick. It is serious to make people sick but in the book it says it in a way very funny. I chose this book as an independent reading book because it is on my lexile level and it has allot of funny things and adventure which I prefer the most
I liked the begging of the book but then it begin to be more and more interesting. Wilmer for the first time of his life he made the first contagious color. Now he is trying to keep it as a secret from other people well actually some students know about it. He said that he trusts them. He is a crazy person tome because if it was in real life then it will be even worse. The people in Casablanca will be so different and weird.
There is this bad guilty teacher that always tries to make Wilmer in trouble because she hates him. Wilmer is very scared because maybe she can make him in trouble so easily. Especially when he made his first contagious color. He is also afraid of her because he tries to make his first contagious color a secret. The bully is so jealous now because he sees a crowd of students hanging up with Wilmer which are the students he trusts about the secret. The bully now is trying to hit Wilmer because of his jealousy. I find this book very interesting and very funny at the same time.
This book is wonderful. It has allot of adventure and funny at the same time. I love this book because it has craziness and allot of imagination at the same time. The contagious thing in the book is only colors that make people sick. It is serious to make people sick but in the book it says it in a way very funny. I chose this book as an independent reading book because it is on my lexile level and it has allot of funny things and adventure which I prefer the most
I liked the begging of the book but then it begin to be more and more interesting. Wilmer for the first time of his life he made the first contagious color. Now he is trying to keep it as a secret from other people well actually some students know about it. He said that he trusts them. He is a crazy person tome because if it was in real life then it will be even worse. The people in Casablanca will be so different and weird.
There is this bad guilty teacher that always tries to make Wilmer in trouble because she hates him. Wilmer is very scared because maybe she can make him in trouble so easily. Especially when he made his first contagious color. He is also afraid of her because he tries to make his first contagious color a secret. The bully is so jealous now because he sees a crowd of students hanging up with Wilmer which are the students he trusts about the secret. The bully now is trying to hit Wilmer because of his jealousy. I find this book very interesting and very funny at the same time.
September 13, 2013
From the entertaining journal entries that begin each chapter to the "exotic" recipes that Wilmer Dooley's mother feeds his family, this story is filled with humor. Wilmer is a sixth grader crushing on Roxie and determined to win the sixth grade science prize to make his inventor father proud of him. He spends his time observing his classmates and thus is the first to notice that something unusual is going on with his classmates.
Wilmer observes that his fellow students are becoming more hyperactive and are turning some very interesting colors. Roxie is turning hot pink! Wilmer is also doing a research project on diseases in the Middle Ages and learning about the Black Plague. He is starting to wonder if some new plague is happening. It seems like the kind of project that could win the science fair.
Wilmer has some rivals though. His prime rival is Claudius Dill who also really wants to win the science fair but his technique is to suck up to the head judge who also happens to be biology teacher Mrs. Padgett who has taken a dislike to Wilmer. Claudius wants to be an evil genius and make lots of money. He is trying to get the attention of his father who is busy being the World's Most Famous Doctor and who is always traveling to conferences around the world.
Wilmer is a likable kid who seems like a realistic sixth grader. All of the adult characters in the book are caricatures though. From the absent-minded father to the ineffectual principal to the teacher with a vendetta toward Wilmer to Claudius's father who can't seem to remember his name, none of the adults are particularly admirable.
I thought the story was amusing and entertaining and could be popular with my middle graders.
Wilmer observes that his fellow students are becoming more hyperactive and are turning some very interesting colors. Roxie is turning hot pink! Wilmer is also doing a research project on diseases in the Middle Ages and learning about the Black Plague. He is starting to wonder if some new plague is happening. It seems like the kind of project that could win the science fair.
Wilmer has some rivals though. His prime rival is Claudius Dill who also really wants to win the science fair but his technique is to suck up to the head judge who also happens to be biology teacher Mrs. Padgett who has taken a dislike to Wilmer. Claudius wants to be an evil genius and make lots of money. He is trying to get the attention of his father who is busy being the World's Most Famous Doctor and who is always traveling to conferences around the world.
Wilmer is a likable kid who seems like a realistic sixth grader. All of the adult characters in the book are caricatures though. From the absent-minded father to the ineffectual principal to the teacher with a vendetta toward Wilmer to Claudius's father who can't seem to remember his name, none of the adults are particularly admirable.
I thought the story was amusing and entertaining and could be popular with my middle graders.
September 22, 2013
Wilmer Dooley didn’t know what kind of illness would be turning his sixth-grade classmates colors. Not just red from sunburn, or yellow from jaunitis, we are talking purple, green, and orange! The illness also seems to super-charge the kids who have it. Wilmer decides it is up to him and his scientific abilities to find a cure and save the day (especially after the girl he has a crush on comes down with the illness). Wilmer figures if he can find a cure, he will surely win the science fair. Unfortunately Wilmer’s arch-nemesis Claudius Dill is out to steal all the credit for himself and the school’s science teacher is out to get Wilmer, too. Can Wilmer use his scientific skills to erase these colors and save the sixth grade class?
This book was SUPER fun for me to read. I love the science part to it! I liked the combination of science, sickness, silliness and a sinister science teacher (I couldn’t think of an “s” word for teacher ;) ). The book made science sound really cool (which it is). The story plot has pretty much everything a kid could want, excitement, good guys, bad guys, romance between Wilmer and Roxie, his crush, and a diabolical teacher. Mr. Dewitt’s writing style makes the book enjoyable for kids at all different levels of reading. I have to say that there are some “gross-out” moments in the book, which I found funny, but I could see where that would turn some people off. For this reason, I know some people won’t like it, but as a kid, I found the book hysterical. Wilmer is a great character and I think a lot of kids can relate to him. I also loved Mr. Dooley, Wilmer’s kooky dad.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This book was SUPER fun for me to read. I love the science part to it! I liked the combination of science, sickness, silliness and a sinister science teacher (I couldn’t think of an “s” word for teacher ;) ). The book made science sound really cool (which it is). The story plot has pretty much everything a kid could want, excitement, good guys, bad guys, romance between Wilmer and Roxie, his crush, and a diabolical teacher. Mr. Dewitt’s writing style makes the book enjoyable for kids at all different levels of reading. I have to say that there are some “gross-out” moments in the book, which I found funny, but I could see where that would turn some people off. For this reason, I know some people won’t like it, but as a kid, I found the book hysterical. Wilmer is a great character and I think a lot of kids can relate to him. I also loved Mr. Dooley, Wilmer’s kooky dad.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
July 19, 2014
I only made it through page 59; I am TOO MUCH of a GROWNUP. *shakes head in despair & disgust*
The VERY frequent references to puke, snot, and other disgusting bodily functions I could handle (hey, it was all for scientic purposes, ok?!), but the apathy of the supposed grownups in this book drove me BONKERS!!! Are you telling me that the adults just aren't noticing their precious children's appendages and other parts turning all colors of the rainbow? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
And a Mother who cooks so poorly (she throws everything--and I do mean everything in reach, including shoes--into her cooking pot) that she needs her 18-month old child to tell her how to cook properly with "hilarious" results. *shakes head in despair & disgust*
Yes, I am not so dim-witted that I realize that this is done for the sake of the storyline; it is done to be "funny." Haha. And by 59 pages in, I am guessing that the kids turning colors has something to do w/ the Dad's invention--the candy to which all the children are addicted--and his poor eldest son will have to break this addiction or find a cure.
Maybe kids find this humorous? Maybe I am ... *shaking head in horror* too much of a grownup? Great Googily Moogily! I give up! Half a star for this book as I find it tedious, dragging, and I had to keep on forcing myself to pick it up and read it. Life is too short for that!
The VERY frequent references to puke, snot, and other disgusting bodily functions I could handle (hey, it was all for scientic purposes, ok?!), but the apathy of the supposed grownups in this book drove me BONKERS!!! Are you telling me that the adults just aren't noticing their precious children's appendages and other parts turning all colors of the rainbow? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
And a Mother who cooks so poorly (she throws everything--and I do mean everything in reach, including shoes--into her cooking pot) that she needs her 18-month old child to tell her how to cook properly with "hilarious" results. *shakes head in despair & disgust*
Yes, I am not so dim-witted that I realize that this is done for the sake of the storyline; it is done to be "funny." Haha. And by 59 pages in, I am guessing that the kids turning colors has something to do w/ the Dad's invention--the candy to which all the children are addicted--and his poor eldest son will have to break this addiction or find a cure.
Maybe kids find this humorous? Maybe I am ... *shaking head in horror* too much of a grownup? Great Googily Moogily! I give up! Half a star for this book as I find it tedious, dragging, and I had to keep on forcing myself to pick it up and read it. Life is too short for that!
December 31, 2016
If Wilmer Dooley could only have one word, that word would be OBSERVATION. Living in a household full of whack-a-doodle parents and siblings, Wilmer is familiar with observing. Yet, when his sixth-grade classmates at Mumpley Middle School start coughing, sneezing, and turning all sorts of rainbow-hued colors, he is determined to find a cure. Curiously, though, he, along with his nemesis, Claudius are not changing colors. Why?
Could it have something to do with his father's popular, sugary-sweet invention that all kids love? Could it have anything to do with his father's new invention? Is it possible that his mother's vegetable garden holds a clue? Wilmer knows what he must do: OBSERVE, and then, test and formulate to find a cure to help his fellow classmates.
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School is full of humor and mystery. You'll be taken on a journey along with Wilmer as he hunts down the whys and the wherefores of the mysterious and odd disease that is affecting his friends...and he just might make some new friends in the process, not to mention adoration from the glorious Roxie.
Could it have something to do with his father's popular, sugary-sweet invention that all kids love? Could it have anything to do with his father's new invention? Is it possible that his mother's vegetable garden holds a clue? Wilmer knows what he must do: OBSERVE, and then, test and formulate to find a cure to help his fellow classmates.
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School is full of humor and mystery. You'll be taken on a journey along with Wilmer as he hunts down the whys and the wherefores of the mysterious and odd disease that is affecting his friends...and he just might make some new friends in the process, not to mention adoration from the glorious Roxie.
September 5, 2014
2.5 out of 5 stars …
My 10 yo gave it 3 stars and said, "It was well formatted but there could have been more places than school and home. But I like the boyish stuff with body functions like snot and puke."
My 7 yo gave it 1 star saying, “It was meh.”
Neither wanted to read it when I selected but half way through it the oldest decided it wasn’t too bad. The youngest stuck to his opinion.
For me it was just okay, I’d give it 3 stars. It was gross but most books I read with my dudes contain bodily fluids and functions.They find it funny at their ages.
I thought the adults ignorance, distraction, and disengagement farfetched but it allowed us to discuss what parenting in real life is like. And, we all disliked the character, Mrs. Padgett.
I enjoyed the history and science facts. There was also and element of mystery, solving the Mumpley malady which generated great ideas about the cause and cure.
Unfortunately, I doubt we will read the second book in the series.
My 10 yo gave it 3 stars and said, "It was well formatted but there could have been more places than school and home. But I like the boyish stuff with body functions like snot and puke."
My 7 yo gave it 1 star saying, “It was meh.”
Neither wanted to read it when I selected but half way through it the oldest decided it wasn’t too bad. The youngest stuck to his opinion.
For me it was just okay, I’d give it 3 stars. It was gross but most books I read with my dudes contain bodily fluids and functions.They find it funny at their ages.
I thought the adults ignorance, distraction, and disengagement farfetched but it allowed us to discuss what parenting in real life is like. And, we all disliked the character, Mrs. Padgett.
I enjoyed the history and science facts. There was also and element of mystery, solving the Mumpley malady which generated great ideas about the cause and cure.
Unfortunately, I doubt we will read the second book in the series.
March 4, 2014
Silly goofy science-based chapter book.
Wilmer is on the front lines of an epidemic! All of his classmates are turning varying shades of bright, occasionally flashing and patterned, colors!
...yes, I'm serious.
It's a fun little escapade that discusses, at a kid-friendly level, OBSERVATION and experiments, and scientific research. The goal for these characters is to win the sixth-grade science competition.
There are sixth-grade level crushes, and an underhanded, troubled villain, and the adults are all a little out of touch and heightened and generally wrong about everything.
The cover of the book is bright and fun and helps the reader envision exactly what this affliction looks like. It's a crazy disease, and the plot is fairly run-of-the-mill. But it's a nice package and a nice tie-in to our next Summer Reading Program theme.
Extra points for containing some real information about epidemics in history. Hooray kid scientists!
Wilmer is on the front lines of an epidemic! All of his classmates are turning varying shades of bright, occasionally flashing and patterned, colors!
...yes, I'm serious.
It's a fun little escapade that discusses, at a kid-friendly level, OBSERVATION and experiments, and scientific research. The goal for these characters is to win the sixth-grade science competition.
There are sixth-grade level crushes, and an underhanded, troubled villain, and the adults are all a little out of touch and heightened and generally wrong about everything.
The cover of the book is bright and fun and helps the reader envision exactly what this affliction looks like. It's a crazy disease, and the plot is fairly run-of-the-mill. But it's a nice package and a nice tie-in to our next Summer Reading Program theme.
Extra points for containing some real information about epidemics in history. Hooray kid scientists!
February 5, 2014
Strange things are happening in Wilmer Dooley�s middle school. The students are all coughing and sneezing, but what�s odd is they are changing bright colors and have enormous energy. Wilmer, who eats only creamed spinach, is unaffected. Wilmer feels that the solution to the problem is up to him and perhaps will earn him the 6th grade science medal at the same time. Wilmer�s parents are inattentive at best. His father is the famous inventor of BUZZ a popular sweet and forever working on a new project that will revolutionize the way children eat. His mother is a most peculiar cook, adding to the humor. This is a quick funny read, suitable for aspiring middle schoolers
April 13, 2014
I really, really wanted this book to be fantastic. My students got to meet the illustrator and I've been pushing this book like crazy because of that connection. And while there's nothing really wrong with it (I honestly don't mind the portrayal of adults -- distracted and uninterested -- or the sexist roles -- boys = scientist, girls = reporter and homemaker), there was nothing spectacular about it. The illustrations actually add that bit of wow factor that is missing from this mostly bland book. Some students may enjoy the humor, but I now see why the check out times for this book are so short.
February 24, 2014
This book wasn't for me. The solution to the contagious color virus should've been pretty obvious to anyone over the age of 10 and that realization comes before the halfway mark of the book. Or maybe not and the bully situation would keep the kids reading, or figuring out the solution to the problem. Personally, it couldn't keep me interested, and I'm not sure what kind of kid I'd recommend this book to. Maybe a kid who likes silly school-based stories.
April 26, 2021
Science Fair Gone Awry. This is a cute, quick read for younger MG audiences. The MC is in 7th grade, also, and the mystery also stems from a food product. It features a young mad-scientist MC, his equally eccentric food inventor father, a gentle crush, violent skin colorations, a bully-turned-snake-oil-salesman, and winning the school's science project prize.
Visit my blog for more book reviews, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Visit my blog for more book reviews, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
June 7, 2014
Very creative! The 6th graders at Mumpley Middle School break out in bright colors - stripes, spots, patterns - and excessive energy and kid-scientist Wilmer Dooley will employ his two favorite science words - "Observation!" and "Inspiration!" - to crack the epidemic and create a cure.
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January 22, 2013With a geeky hero named Wilmer Dooley, an archnemesis named Claudius Dill, and a strange illness that involves neon colors and polka-dots spreading through the sixth grade... what's not to like?
August 10, 2014
Read a few chapters and couldn't get into it. Maybe will come back to it later.
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