Angels Don't Know Karate

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #23

by Debbie Dadey, Marcia Thornton Jones, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

The hugely popular early chapter book series re-emerges with a new look! Brand-new eye-catching cover art brings a modern feel to this classic monster series for young readers.

Melody believes in guardian angels, but the other Bailey School kids aren't convinced. That is until a new woman comes to town who keeps showing up just in time to save people. Melody even says she saw the woman spreading her wings! Could the newcomer really have come to Bailey City on a miracle mission?

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Young Adult

80 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 15, 1996

About the author

Debbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at Facebook.com/debbiedadey.

Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love ❤️ this series!
I grew up reading this series and I still get a kick out of them today 20+ years later!

The stories are funny, adventurous, mysterious, and just all around very fun to read!

This story follows the same format as all of its predecessors. There is someone whom they claim to be a supernatural being or creature, they find clues to lead them to believe this, then they investigate, research or spy on them and decide they are just a strange person. But they never truly find out if they were right or not.

But one thing is for sure Bailey has some strange people living in it!!!

I thought “Angels Don’t Know Karate” was very cute. But but the story wasn’t as strong as some of the others because there wasn’t as much proof that this character was a super natural being, and more than anything there was as much mystery surrounding the character.

It was still fun to read but I would love a bit more mystery.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books when I was a kid! But, ironically, I don't think I ever read this particular adventure (although I recall always seeing it on the library shelf). It was a fun, Christmas-inspired tale, which felt somewhat out of place in late October, but was nevertheless a fun little read. I really love how these books manage to straddle the line of leaving readers wondering if the adults in the story are really the things they are accused of being (a pirate, an angel, a vampire, etc.), and I love that the endings are inconclusive enough that you never know for sure. This was a heartwarming little tale and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.

[Sheena · Rating 1 out of 5]

It ended way too quickly. A lot quicker than some of the other books. I know the characters don't stick around long but this one just up and ended with no type of conclusion.

[Pizza_Food :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

angel help people

[Andrew Dittmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah man, I love this series.

When do we get the series adaptation?
Come on, Netflix! You cancelled The Babysitters Club, can't we get even a season of The Bailey School Kids: The Animated Series?

So, if you're reading this book, I can't imagine you don't have at least some passing familiarity.
Think of it like Boy Meets World with a hint of the supernatural: everything is a little over-the-top but it's reflective of often real questions (or neuroses) of kids of a certain age. I mean, c'mon, is Griff REALLY friends with Robert Goulet? Is the kids teacher REALLY a vampire?

How does one... review a book like this?
I don't know.

But it's fun. And an easy read. And a nice nostalgia trip.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

These kids have their minds playing tricks on them again!

But this one was cute. Guardian angels don't necessarily need to be real angels to help you, or guide you, but either way it's nice to believe it.

Mr. Mason sure did change really quickly overnight too. I guess miracles really do happen. Maybe it was the cookies, maybe it was the angel, who knows.

But Melody was right. Some things you don't need to prove, all you need is a little faith.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5yo and 6yo absolutely loved this book. This was a book they engaged with by jumping in every couple pages so they could recount every detail to me (yes, retelling me the story I had just read to them). They love this series, and I loved it when I was in elementary school. This story keeps the lovely ambiguity around whether or not there is an angel- classic Bailey School Kids.

[Megan Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look. I know I’m not the target audience for these. I enjoy them for what they are but this was the worst karate teacher ever.

She had them yelling Ma’am! Yes, Ma’am! And their free lesson was sit ups and jumping jacks. No thanks.

[Sasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

as a kid, i remember being disappointed and confused that the angel wasn't asian. will give this a re-read to see if it this should've stayed in the drafts or the angel being asian would've been better (maybe both).

[Josh Epp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

Quick and to the point with this one! Loved the Angel! The kids are hilarious with their descriptions of the teachers and each other. Being in this world makes me so happy, I’m sad I’m almost done them all!

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read any of the series before, well this didn't outright show proof or disprove the character is or isn't an angel. It is still a good read for early chapter fiction books.

Looks like I have a lot if books to catch up on.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one.

[Miss Weber’s 4th Grade Class · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book!-OC

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our oldest has really gotten into the stories in the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series. There are a lot of these books, so she'll be entertained for quite a long time. This is one of the nicer tales in the series, with a guardian angel and a good deed done in time for Christmas. Our oldest read this one on her own and then I read it to our youngest while we were at the doctor's office. It's an entertaining story and quick read. The illustrations by John Steven Gurney are as good as we have come to expect, from his A to Z Mysteries collaboration with Ron Roy. We enjoyed reading this story together and are looking forward to reading more in the series.

[BookeryBliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harmless book aimed at upper elementary: is the new crossing guard a karate-wielding angel? If she isn't, how does she manage to be in the right place at the right time to save Melody from bullies and other threats?

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie jumps out of a tree to prove that angels don’t exist. He is caught by a stranger that immediately disappears and appeared to have wings. The kids then take up karate lessons, and the instructor is their new suspect.

Entertaining and obviously not very creepy.

[Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some weird gown-ups living in the Bailey's city. They think they found an angel and it's really good.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LEARNED THAT ANGELS DONT KNOW KARATE

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think that ms.angela is nice in this book

[tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learn that the angels is a gardeant.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

great when ur little

[Baashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this book and i enjoyed it very much

[Erika Stauffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this series when I was second grade. This is a great book to have students make predictions.

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think some of the boys would like this one!

[Jessie Alvis]

Taylor is reading

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read these all in while I was in middle school and loved them, giving them a 3.5-4.0 for my past 12 year old self.

[Micaela Semien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

They got a new crossing guard. her name was Angela Michaels. She was an angel. She broke a stack of wood with her hand!