Class Dismissed

by Allan Woodrow

Class 507 is the worst class Ms. Bryce has ever taught. And she would know -- she's been teaching forever. They are so terrible that when a science experiment goes disastrously wrong (again), Ms. Bryce has had it and quits in the middle of the lesson. But through a mix-up, the school office never finds out.

Which means... Class 507 is teacher-free!

The class figures if they don't tell anyone, it'll be one big holiday. Kyle and his friends can play games all day. Samantha decides she'll read magazines and give everyone (much needed) fashion advice. Adam can doodle everywhere without getting in trouble. Eric will be able to write stories with no one bothering him. And Maggie... well, as the smartest kid in the class she has an ambitious plan for this epic opportunity.

But can Class 507 keep the principal, the rest of the students, and their parents from finding out... or will the greatest school year ever turn into the worst disaster in school history?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Childrens, School, Juvenile

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Allan Woodrow is the author of more than thirty books for children, some written under secret names. His books include Unschooled, Class Dismissed, and The Pet War.

Allan often presents to schools, libraries and conferences. He is currently writing his next 12 novels, which are in various states of assembly.

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 really- the middle was a bit slow, but the end was really great! This was another pick for my classroom book clubs and I'm glad it made the cut! I can easily see fourth and fifth graders eating this book up- a fifth grade class goes teacher-free for 2 weeks when the school staff misses the memo about their teacher quitting and the class learns some very valuable lessons during those 2 weeks. Great book!

[Carter Kissell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was about a class that had no teacher. My favorite part of it was when they put on the play at the end of the book. I think that any kid in school should read this book. It is almost every kids dream to have no teacher and be able to do whatever they want at school. In the book they have to overcome obstacles because they dont have a teacher, for example they had to go to the museum. They had to get a substitute for the class and say that he was a chaperone and there teacher was in the bathroom.

[Eli H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good when I read it every morning in the summer.

[Sandi Faulconbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class 507 is teacher-free!!! The dream of many a student ... one day the teacher walks out and somehow the message doesn't quite make it to the office. What to do??? Why, make sure everyone in the class swears to secrecy and kick-back and enjoy a teacher free year!!! Yeah, right! It's not as easy as it sounds, and boy are the kids in room 507 in for a bumpy ride.

This book works for me on so many levels. It is humorous It is an easy read. It is relevant to our school children. And it is written from the perspective of five of the students in the class. Readers will be able to connect easily with one of these characters (Yep I would definitely have been a Maggie!!!) and they will be able to recognise many of their own classmates or siblings in the characterisation of the other students. We have the bully and the troublemakers, the quiet industrious student who always gets ignored, the fashionista, the academic, the artist and the followers. There is even a budding romance.

This is an easy and fun read. It would make a really good read-aloud ... maybe even getting some of the students to take the role of one of the five key characters rather than the teacher reading the whole book!

[Camryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not really like this story because it was kinda boring and not that good to read.

[Razan Yaqoub]

in three words??well, hilarious,beautiful, and incredible. My fav part was the last, its really AMAZING .A good book by Allan Woodrow . recommended.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute (though unrealistic) story of a class whose teacher resigns...and in a strange twist of fate, not one adult is aware of it. The students devise a plan to keep her departure a secret and have fun every day. Of course, they learn along the way that this isn't an easy task and that sometimes too much fun isn't really any fun at all.

It was hard for me (as an adult and a teacher) to accept several things in the story...mostly the fact that the other teachers and principals don't notice the teacher's absence for MANY days. This includes multiple "she's in the bathroom" excuses and even a field trip. While I'm sure there are clueless administrators out there, I find it hard to believe one would be THAT clueless.

So...I just tried to ignore my adult logic and enjoy it for what it is: a humorous story for upper elementary students.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Class Dismissed is a hilariously funny book about a group of kids trying to survive without a teacher. If you’ve read or heard of Flying Solo, it’s similar to that but better in my opinion. Class Dismissed is uniquely funny and in the end lots of life lessons are learned. I used this as a read aloud for my 4th graders and we were able to do so much with the content of this book. Can’t wait to read Unschooled!

[Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

class dismissed is a book about a class the teachers name is Mrs.Bryce. Her class is the worst class she"s ever had in 40 years. she's so fed up with her class she decides to quit. but somehow the office never finds out. At first the class thinks that it will be a breeze keeping there secret and that this will be the greatest year ever. but soon the class realizes it's harder then they thought to run a class.

[Briana B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my students and we loved it! Such a cute story.

[Carie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! I am surprised it has not gotten much attention. I may consider this book for my fourth grade book club.

[Angela Wessel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read aloud for a 5th grade classroom! Fun book!

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable story- who didn't wish their teacher wouldn't just quit? I enjoyed the variety of characters and their development. A good read for upper elementary students.

[Reesa M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme is some things that seem like they will be great really are not. The class thought that it will be a teacher free year and a lot of fun but it was hard to keep a secret to work together.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My Thoughts} – The title is slightly misleading when it comes to the actual content within the pages. However, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their personalities one on one as opposed to it all being one big story. Each chapter is written at the point of view of a different character and each character truly emerges from the individual they began as, to the individual the book ends with them being.

Maggie – She is a born leader or she believes she is suppose to be. When everything ends up upside down in their class she decides to take charge. Although, in the beginning she thinks it will be easy and fun to help her class mates evolve, she quickly learns that isn’t the case.

Samantha – She starts out being such a know it all. She seems to think that he class mates enjoy being told that they aren’t as good at doing things that are more her interest then theirs. She seems to think that any time she is in trouble her daddy can buy her way out. She also thinks it’s okay to bluntly disrespect others no matter who they are. That all changes as her character learns to mature throughout the pages.

Eric – He is such a quiet boy. He likes to stay hidden in the background. He appears to have a wild imagination though because he is always writing stories as a way to side track his mind. He has a real nack for thinking things need to be different and change but not wanting to be the one to suggest change or stand up for what he believes.

Kyle – He is such a goofball. He gets easily distracted and feels his mom doesn’t think he will amount to anything. He also has a talent at writing rhymes. He has a hard time finding his place among his peers and seems to choose messing around is being the better option as opposed to actually listening and learning.

Adam – He seems to always get into trouble but not for things that he does on purpose. He has a habit of doing things with good intention but they don’t always turn out the way that he’d like them to. Because of that he gets into a lot of trouble for the things he does, and when he tries to explain he’s usually told to be quiet. I don’t find the way he is treated to be fair, but then things have the potential to turn around.

All of these characters are in the same class. All of these characters struggle with themselves. They each want to be better, they want to make something of themselves. They want to become someone that people enjoy being around, think good things about and look forward to seeing on a daily basis. Each character bands together with the others to help make things better with suggestions, ideas, and better behavior. When you put you mind to doing something right it’s possible that anything can happen and these characters want to do things right, they just take awhile to get to the point where they think they will be able to handle the ramifications of their actions.

I think every child can relate to the way this entire class ends up feeling throughout the book. I think that this is a wonderful book for any child to read and that many will come away learning more about themselves and learning that not everything that they think matters right now is as important as the other things that are going on in their lives are may go on in the future.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so cute ?? It gives me extreme elementary school nostalgic which is kind of why I rated it so high but it also just written well with growing characters and an interesting story that funny and just a pleasure to read !

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Room 507, Ms. Bryce's 5th grade class, is especially trying and troubling this year. Kids goof off, don't pay attention, and turn relatively mild science experiments into disasters. She's had enough. She quits mid-day, calling down to the office to inform the principal. Except, unbeknownst to her and the school, Principal Klein never gets the message. That's when Room 507 takes a vote and decides to do without a teacher and keep this huge secret under wraps.

Maggie, the Harvard-bound (so she says) class genius decides to take on the responsibility of teaching the class, preparing and assigning homework, and directing the 5th grade school play. How hard can it be? Teaching is easy...right? Well, the students realize their 'easy' task is nearly impossible. Yet, within the two weeks that they are without a teacher, they learn some very valuable lessons that aren't necessarily taught in school books. Taking on responsibility, working as a team, and respecting your peers and adults are the cornerstones of life. In the end, although they are not let off without punishment once their secret is revealed, they realize that teaching is an art and learning is not automatically guaranteed.

Class Dismissed is full of humor and gives readers some food-for-thought. Told through the students' multiple viewpoints, we get a sense of how far each of them comes in two weeks. Will the class clown step up? Will the shyest student get some glory? Will the class genius recognize that she doesn't know everything? Will the spoiled little-rich-girl realize that worthwhile accomplishments are better than anything that money can buy? The background characters are delightful and lend a layer to the story which is both heart-warming and realistic. And, there is a HUGE surprise at the end (which I did not see coming) that will make your heart melt...YOW, YOW, YOW!.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Their fifth grade class with no teacher in charge sounds like a dream come true for Class 507, the most unruly group at school. Ms. Bryce is fed up with their misbehavior and resigns in the middle of science class. However, her call to the principal’s office is inadvertently intercepted by Adam, Class 507’s requisite bad boy who is sent to the principal on a daily basis. Instead of alerting the principal or his secretary, who are dealing with a plumbing crisis, Adam returns to class and gives them the good news: their class no longer has a teacher and nobody knows. The fifth graders decide to keep the secret and envision unfettered school days: endless recess, no homework or tests, no rules. However, they soon realize that keeping their situation a secret is harder than they thought and they must devise ways to keep up the appearance of a normal classroom. Especially worrisome is the upcoming class play. They learn valuable lessons in teamwork and cooperation and new friends are made along the way as they work on the play, the culminating event in the story when their secret is finally revealed. The story is narrated in the first-person voices of five classmates: the intimidating Kyle; bossy brain and college-obsessed Maggie; quiet, budding author Eric; rich girl and fashion-obsessed Samantha; and the kindhearted, always-in-trouble Adam. The humor is light and the story is engaging, but the stereotypical characters are underdeveloped and their voices are too similar. The subplots feel tacked on and too pat. That quibbling aside, the intended audience will enjoy this outing nevertheless and probably envision themselves in a similar scenario.

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to school and sitting in classroom - with no teacher - is harder than you'd think.
Five children learn something unexpected.

The super-responsible person learns to relax.
The super-irresponsible person learns to step up and pay attention.
The super-fashionable person learns to focus on character, not clothes.
The super-bashful person learns to speak up.
The super-unlucky person keeps being unlucky until suddenly they aren't.

[AMY · Rating 1 out of 5]

263 pages. The main character steals food from other kids (p. 2) He grabs another boy's pencil two times when his own breaks. Set in fifth grade . During an experiment with a volcano (vinegar and soda) the teacher gets mad, calls office, resigns and walks out. Kind of weird and boring. I would skip this one. Not recommended.

[GuggleIt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was about a class that has a teacher that leaves halfway through a lesson. The vlass figures this could be the perfect opportunity to just, well, play! But not having a teacher is much more hard then having a teacher...

[Ezra and Wolfie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Simba Saurus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how it has many perspectives. It is about a class that doesn’t have a teacher and no one knows. I like this book a lot. I would recommend it for 4th or 3rd graders.

[Joey Merrion · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the book Class dismissed by Allan Woodrow i would rate this book 4 stars for a couple of reasons. First off, in the beginning of the book the teacher Mrs.Bryce leaves the classroom and is fed up because of the kids behavior and quits in the middle of class and doesn't tell the principle leaving the kids to have no teacher. I really enjoyed the fact that the book is showing the life of what 5th graders would do without a teacher. From my experiences it would be extreme chaos when the teacher would leave the room for just a few minutes to do something.
I also enjoyed the fact that the kids drew pencils and whomever got the short pencil had to go to the principals office so that the office wouldn't be suspicious. Another thing that I thought was interesting was the fact that no one told there parents or principle that they didn't have a teacher. When I was in Elementary school if the same thing happened with us i think every single kid would of told there parents about it after the first day.
My favorite quote is from Kyle's perspective "Yow. Yow. Yow. Ms.Bryce is gone? Retired? out the door and never coming back?...We're going to talk loudly. Chew gum. And do anything we want, whenever we want" (Woodrow 19). I liked this quote the most because it is when the class clown finally realizes that he doesn't have a teacher anymore.
In the beginning of the book the teacher (Mrs.Bryce) is furious with her class and ends up quitting her job and does not tell the principle. All is going well until Maggie (a girl who claims that she is going to Harvard) learns about a school performance that the class has to do. The class does there job and learns their performance all without a teacher. On the night of the performance they finally tell there parents that they haven't had a teacher for a while.
I think that this books theme is about teamwork and how to be a team player. The fact that they did not have a teacher meant that kids had to step up and become leaders and work well together so that there performance went well. I think that teamwork is one of the most important things that kids learn in elementary school because regardless of what you choose to do in life that is a skill that you will most definitely need.

[Jarret Lardiere · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Class Dismissed", by Allan Woodrow, takes place in a school atmosphere, with teachers, students, homework, and like any other school, substitutes. However, this class faces one problem; no substitute has shown up for Ms. Bryce. After another science lab goes terribly wrong, Ms. Bryce quits right in the classroom, notifying the office over the phone. Despite the phone call, though, the office did not actually get the message because a student that Ms. Bryce had sent to the principal’s office answers the phone instead when all the teachers are distracted by a plumbing problem. This begins the journey of the class without a teacher. Every day for months they draw, color, play games, watch movies, play with the supplies, and overall have fun. Of course, the class has a few bumps along the way, but they always handle the situation by telling someone Ms. Bryce is occupied, out sick, etc. Nonetheless, Class 507 cannot keep their secret forever, as they learn when they are in a school play and it goes terribly wrong, leaving people to want to question Ms. Bryce. Unfortunately, the whole class needs to participate in summer school to make up for all the material they had skipped. As one can see, having no teacher is not as fun as many students today would think, and everyone's better off just doing what they are supposed to do.
As much fun and entertaining this book was, I do feel that it is a little childish and less mature. I enjoy stories that contain drama, love, fantasy, etc. I would recommend this read to young students who feel that teachers are mean for giving them homework, assignments, tests, and other work. This could teach those students the importance of education and someone to guide them through to learn what they will need for life. I do not believe that any part of this novel or its plot should be changed, however, I think it is more for younger readers. Overall, though, this book is a good read, and I feel that it is a very good book choice for elementary school students.

[Kelly Cai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I really enjoyed reading this book and I definitely recommend it to others. I liked that this book was full of mystery because you wouldn't know what you would expect in the next chapter. In this book, it talks about how this frustrated teacher resigns from being a teacher out of no where. So, the students decide to keep quiet for as long as possible until someone finds out. After a few days, the classroom gets out of hand and starts to realize that they really need to tell someone. People start getting worried about the consequences when the principle figures out what they have been hiding. It's been a couple of weeks and still, no one has said a word because they we threatened to not say a word about the classroom secret. They realized that the year was coming to an end, meaning that they had to write a personal script about a play and preform it to the audience. They started to panic because they needed a teacher to assist them though. They ended up with someone to work with and now they had to preform it. They play went good and when it ended, the whole class decided to write a letter to the principle revealing the classroom secret. The principle reads it out of shock, and the teacher comes out of no where. Their punishment was to have summer school which was terrible.
If this book could have some improvements, I would like them to add something more exciting at the end. Instead of them just receiving summer school, maybe something more surprising and interesting to leave the readers shocked. I would also recommend that this book should include a better description of the characters in the book because I would like to know more about their personalities and what they enjoy doing. If this book included all the improvements, people like me would enjoy this book more than they already do.

[Jada W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about A classroom of kids and they have a teacher that just quit. They try to keep it a secret for a long time, but soon teachers get suspicious. Not only that they just figured out that they are in charge of a class play. They work together to get things done, and to not be cot by anyone, but soon they hate stressing out about everything that they all tell the principle after a long time.
The theme I chose for this book is, Sometimes secrets are not not meant to be kept. I chose this theme because when they kept that big secret it was all hard on the kids to not get the adults to find out, they even did homework because the parents were getting suspicious. Also when they kept there big secret they did not learn, and I do not think that is what school is for, so that secret is not meant to be. Not only that, they lied about there teacher being there to help with they play, so they all kept this big secret util they found out it was time to tell somebody.
In my opinion I really liked the book is was really funny and entertaining. My favorite part was the first day they had with there teacher gone, because it was just so funny and they did not know what to do. Also I loved it when they almost got cot by someone because it made for thing interesting. Also I like how the book had different point of views from the characters.

[Juwon Choi]

Class 507 made Miss Bryce resign her job. Adam is at the principal's office when the principal was busy he picked up the phone and he heard that Miss Bryce resigned. So no one knows? The class has to figure out how to make other teachers, students and family don't know. They also have to do a play... if anyone finds out there BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alyvia H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Sisters says, "He looks right at me, as if he expects me to blurt out the answer." (p.142). Sisters is a very fun and interesting book. Samantha is one of the many main characters in the book, I guess you could say she is a trouble maker. It takes place in a school classroom, and it seems like it is written in the present. It is a book about how the teacher leaves in the middle of the class because students are being disrespectful. They want to keep this a secret from everyone because they think this will make everyday a big party. The main theme of this story is to show kids that not having a teacher actually isn't as fun as you would think it would be. It also shows how important school is and how important having a teacher is. I would recommend this book to a friend because it keeps you on your feet for what is going to happen next. Overall I really enjoyed the enthusiasm in this book.

[Fra17006byui.Edu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a middle school class where the teacher has just had it and quits in the middle of a lesson that goes disastrously like usual. There was a complication and somehow the schools office never finds out and the class is left to run on it's own. Of course the students think this is awesome and take the opportunity to do whatever they want. But they have to keep it a secret from everyone else or a new teacher will come in. They soon learn that having no teacher is actual more of an issue than they originally thought and keeping it a secret is also difficult.

I think this story was pretty good but not my favorite. Very fitting for middle school students and very content appropriate. It's not something that particularly interests me so I personally wouldn't care to read another book like it but it wasn't horrible, just not for me.