Miss Klute Is a Hoot!

My Weirder School #11

by Dan Gutman, Jim Paillot (Illustrations)

With more than 30 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! In this eleventh book in the My Weirder School series, A.J. and his friends learn that the reading scores at Ella Mentry School are way down. So, Mr. Macky decides to hire a special new helper to whip the kids into shape—Miss Klute, a Labradoodle! No one understands why they have to read to a therapy dog every day at story time, until the first time they try it. Suddenly everyone wants a turn to read to Miss Klute! But when the kids decide that Miss Klute is spending too much time inside listening to stories—that their therapy dog herself needs therapy—they let her outside, and all chaos breaks loose! Perfect for reluctant readers and word lovers alike, Dan Gutman’s hugely popular My Weird School series has something for everyone. Don’t miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and the gang.  

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile, School, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Audiobook

112 pages, Library Binding

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Klute is a hoot, is a humorous story about a class that gets its own reading therapy dog, who is supposed to sit and listen while they read.

Of course, dogs do have other interests.

Pretty good.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loved it and laughed his head off for most of it.

[Celeste_pewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two-second recap: Miss Klute is a Hoot! is a lovable addition to the Weirder School series.

Younger readers are encouraged to develop their love of reading by reading to a fluffy and unusual friend, while also learning that adults aren't as unusual as they might seem.

***

Full review:

I love discovering books which have innovative ways of helping children develop a love of reading, so I was pretty much guaranteed to love Miss Klute Is a Hoot! from the start.

In the 11th book of the Weirder School series, Ella Mentry School students are struggling with reading comprehension. So one of the teacher decides to try an innovative idea: bringing a therapy dog into the classroom, and having the kids read to the dog!

While the program is successful, nothing is ever simple when your school is a weird school. The usual fun, wacky hijinks occur, including a shy, reluctant reader and misunderstandings as to what actually goes on in the teacher's lounge…

Gutman continues his trend of writing charming, educational tales with this story. Educators and parents will likely appreciate the fact that Gutman emphasizes the benefits of coming up with innovative solutions to tough problems - reading therapy with a friendly dog! -but also shows that it's okay if those solutions aren't universal for everyone.

Even though most of the kids love Miss Klute, there is one notable student who finds that it's still difficult to read when there's an adult in the room. But the kids don't tease her or judge her; they respect her for trying to overcome her shyness, an important lesson for readers both young and old.

Outside of reading challenges, Gutman also does a great job of sharing the idea that tall tales don't always equal reality. The kids start the book with the belief that the teacher's lounge is a paradise for them to escape to, but quickly learn that not everything is what it seems - and that's okay! Teachers are still awesome, nonetheless.

Bottom line: this is a great book with smart, important lessons on learning how to love reading, creating unique solutions to tough problems, and also how to accept the fact that reality sometimes doesn't match up with tall tales, but it's just as great.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Klute is Hoot! by Dan Gutman is a book about a dog that listens people read.The book is about a dog that goes to a school and listens to the students read but the dog seems kind of sad so the students try to cheer her but a small problem happens.I did like this book because its really funny.I would recommend this book to my friend from fremont.

[Nam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed sharing the knowledge of the therapy dog, but a real therapy dog would be trained to not run around gobbling up food or chasing squirrels. I get that that was part of the problem, but it would be nice if therapy dogs had been represented more responsibly

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun.

[Jaden John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dog are weird

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Klute is a labradoodle who teaches kids to read. I read this in the car on our way to the beach. Loved it!

[Mary Kraeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun carefree book that's just for fun.

[Tavian Lirette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's another goodie from down the My Weird(er) School pipeline. The kids' craze over the eponymous therapy dog is as outrageous as it is lovably ridiculous. Bonus points for the iterative addition of labels they collectively give to Miss Klute, with A.J. adding them together one by one to yield the beautifully descriptive "giant, man-eating, grizzly attack Labrapoodle". One thing I will say I find notable is the claim that Miss Klute is "hypoallergenic" - which Andrea helpfully explains means Miss Klute wouldn't "bother people who are allergic to dogs". The truth is while some dog breeds are less likely to trigger such allergies in people, there's no such thing as a dog entirely free of it. Miss Klute being improbably rowdy as the story went on is also questionable, seeing as it's explained that she's a trained therapy dog, but I'd chalk that up as just the effect of how crazy Ella Mentry School (& the story narrative) can make anyone. But whether you think this entry's comedy stands despite - or because of - that more fantastical element, this is a fittingly fun-filled thrill for any fan of the series, old or new!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book in the series! It's a fun story about a boy who meets a reading-dog in the library, and invites the dog to his school. Recommended for kids who like fun books, and for dog lovers.

[Kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 hour

[Parisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

این قسمت یه گوسفند تعلیم دیده به مدرسه اومده تا به بچه ها در روخوانی کمک کنه
تو جنگل گم میشه
و البته پیدا

[Christine The Uncorked Librarian]

Some members of this Ella Mentry School class are struggling with reading. Their teacher, Mr. Mackay, decides to introduce the school to Miss Klute, a therapy Labradoodle. Miss Klute is the hit of the school, and all of the students want to read to her. A.J. and his classmates like some reading (they have good taste in Dan Yaccarino), but they especially like to make up their own stories when they get bored. The students worry that Miss Klute is also becoming uninterested and sad. A.J. comes up with a solution to take Miss Klute for a walk. Like A.J.’s usual luck, though, a squirrel runs by and the students lose Miss Klute in the chase. Chaos breaks out at the school and when they find Miss Klute, they have more of a mess than they bargained for. Meant for hard to engage readers, the My Weird School series (and its run offs) is best for first to third and struggling fourth grade readers. At work, we recommend this series and author for children who do not like to read. Since I always point patrons in this direction too, I wanted to know what my library is recommending. I laughed along with Gutman’s corny jokes, and overall, I do think that this title is a solid easy-read recommendation. I saw the use of metafiction at work, and I enjoyed the “everyday going to school feel” of the book. There is a short, simple plot and no character development, which is why I would also help promote these types of books as ones to start with and grab younger readers' attentions but also pair with more developed titles in the future.

[Haydn Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my all-time favorite chapter books to read! Not only does it have a variety of language to help students grow as readers, but also includes a great lesson about reading and is, in my opinion, hilarious! The narrator of the story, A.J. is a student in a class. Throughout the book you are learning about the classroom he is in through his eyes. The thing I enjoyed most about this book is that it is written just like I would expect an elementary aged child to write a book, with lots of off-topic thoughts and sarcastic comments. I believe this book has two types of humor which make it even better. There is basic humor which children will understand and think is funny, and then there is advanced humor that children might be able to pick up on, but it is not likely. I enjoy reading a book like this because I am able to enjoy the book as well when reading it with or to my students. I will keep this book in mind in my future classroom and may also explore more "My Weirder School" books in the future.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mr. Macky, the school reading specialist, comes in to AJ and his friends’ class with a giant labradoodle reading therapy dog named Miss Klute, the kids aren’t sure about what to think of her. But, it turns out that reading to Miss Klute is actually pretty cool! Until she starts acting strangly. She seems… Depressed. What’s going on with Miss Klute?

This book is hilarious!!! I’ll never get tired of this series. It’s just too much fun! I love that the school gets a reading therapy dog, (a lot like the excellent Rhythm the therapy dog, from the ReadingWithRhythm blog), and how the kids actually like reading now, because of Miss Klute. Mr. Gutman has written another great book! And, as always, the illustrations by Mr. Paillot are humorous and fun – perfect for this wacky book!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have never read the other My Weirder School books, I can tell that Dan Gutman's series is a winner for young readers. It takes school humor similar to Sideways Stories of Wayside School and brings it down to a early reader's level. It has puns that fans of Amelia Bedelia will love told by an authentically-sounding and loveable narrator.

Miss Klute is a therapy dog used by a reading specialist to encourage a class full of relucant readers. They learn to love to read out loud to Miss Klute and develop a caring relationship with her, so they are crushed when something happens to their favorite reading pal. Will they ever see her again? The teacher in me also thought it was a riot to hear the kids musing about what teachers did during their downtime in their mythical Teachers' Lounge.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gutman’s My Weird School series’ have always been one of my favorite book series to recommend to kids that are less than enthusiastic about reading. In this edition he covers another way to get children excited about books.... reading to a dog! When I was a school librarian we were lucky enough to have our school participate in the “Read to Roover” campaign and the students LOVED IT. People of all ages and reading levels can practice their reading skills to an animal and not fear judgment. Miss. Klute did just that for the students of Elea Mentary School, who brought some unexpected excitement as well.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Klute is a labradoodle therapy dog who "works at" Ella Mentry school. Under the supervision of the reading specialist, Mr. Macky, Miss Klute helps the students with their reading.

Kids love animals and it is believable that a dog could improve reading scores. What I found odd was that the class read "round robin" to the dog instead of taking turns reading individually or in pairs to the dog.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 1st grader loves this series! This was his 17th book! However, this one made him tear up because of chapter 9. From everyone dying to the almost dead dog, I didn't appreciate this one as much as the others.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book. the dog miss klute actually gets to interacts with kids. after that its a wild mess.

[Nya · Rating 3 out of 5]

JUST SAD!!!!!!

[Mymcbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always another fun Weirder School. I needed a laugh and this provided one. I hate when Andrea cries...it every book... but as we know AJ and Andrea will probably get married in 20 years LOL

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bedtime reading filled with laughter. My DD and I loved every line.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable. I had to read this for a Literacy class, and it was just adorable. I love the idea of the story and I love how it ended.

[Kathleen Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this was a book about a therapy dog, but then it migrated into nonsensical territory. Yeah, I know it's a children's book but still.

[Kaytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a relaxing book when the dog miss Klute was in it the rest was okay

[Luke Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was funny that they thought Ms Klute was a grizzly bear.

[Faith scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is awesome