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A Week in the Woods
Collision course
The fifth-grade Week in the Woods is a beloved tradition of Hardy Elementary, where Mark Chelmsley (the Fourth) is pretty much killing time before his parents send him off to an exclusive prep school. But then Mark realizes the Week might be a chance to prove to Mr. Maxwell that he's not just another of the slacker rich kids the teacher can't stand.
But it may be too late for Mark to change Mr. Maxwell's opinion of him. On the first day of the Week, the tension between teacher and student explodes, and in a reckless moment, Mark puts not only himself, but also Mr. Maxwell, in grave danger. Can two such strong adversaries work together to save their lives?
The fifth-grade Week in the Woods is a beloved tradition of Hardy Elementary, where Mark Chelmsley (the Fourth) is pretty much killing time before his parents send him off to an exclusive prep school. But then Mark realizes the Week might be a chance to prove to Mr. Maxwell that he's not just another of the slacker rich kids the teacher can't stand.
But it may be too late for Mark to change Mr. Maxwell's opinion of him. On the first day of the Week, the tension between teacher and student explodes, and in a reckless moment, Mark puts not only himself, but also Mr. Maxwell, in grave danger. Can two such strong adversaries work together to save their lives?
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
196 people are currently reading
1872 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Clements
190 books2,182 followersI was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books and becoming a writer. I don't know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
October 16, 2024
This was a good book about a boy who was rich and the teacher thought he had an attitude problem.
September 12, 2013
Okay, in my opinion, this is Andrew Clements' best book! Truly! When I started out reading this, I figured it was going to be 4 stars. But it came out being five!
Throughout the book, Clements described in true detail Mark's thoughts and his surroundings. Though I usually find myself bored with a lot of description and thoughts and less dialogue, there was a balance. With this story it made sense, and it kept my attention well.
Also, I loved the fact that Clements focused on just Mark and Mr. Maxwell (who drove me nuts at first and got me really frustrated because he was discrimination against Mark because Mr. Maxwell thought he was a "spoiled lazy rich kid"). I could really relate with Mark for some reason. I could understand everything - and I mean everthing - he went through. I would have reacted the same way he did with everything! Though I probably wouldn't have run into the woods like he did later on. But everything else was the same! And maybe that's the reason I loved this book so much: I could truly say that I would have had the same thoughts, the same actions, and the same mindset about everything up to when he took off into the woods.
Oh, and I have to say, there was one section in the book that got me to laughing even though it wasn't meant to be funny. Clements used the phrase "moment of clarity" when Mark suddenly realized what he was doing and what should be done. But that reminded me of the scene in Wreck-It Ralph where Zangief said, "Then, I have moment of clarity." xP xD I just had to share that.
Anyhoo, I hope my review gets some people (like you *points at the person who is reading this*) to take the time to read this book! Because I don't think you'll regret it!
Throughout the book, Clements described in true detail Mark's thoughts and his surroundings. Though I usually find myself bored with a lot of description and thoughts and less dialogue, there was a balance. With this story it made sense, and it kept my attention well.
Also, I loved the fact that Clements focused on just Mark and Mr. Maxwell (who drove me nuts at first and got me really frustrated because he was discrimination against Mark because Mr. Maxwell thought he was a "spoiled lazy rich kid"). I could really relate with Mark for some reason. I could understand everything - and I mean everthing - he went through. I would have reacted the same way he did with everything! Though I probably wouldn't have run into the woods like he did later on. But everything else was the same! And maybe that's the reason I loved this book so much: I could truly say that I would have had the same thoughts, the same actions, and the same mindset about everything up to when he took off into the woods.
Oh, and I have to say, there was one section in the book that got me to laughing even though it wasn't meant to be funny. Clements used the phrase "moment of clarity" when Mark suddenly realized what he was doing and what should be done. But that reminded me of the scene in Wreck-It Ralph where Zangief said, "Then, I have moment of clarity." xP xD I just had to share that.
Anyhoo, I hope my review gets some people (like you *points at the person who is reading this*) to take the time to read this book! Because I don't think you'll regret it!
October 8, 2017
Maybe not in my top three Clements, but close. Really close. This is quiet - and heartwarming - and nuanced. Clements explores how rootless and lonely a rich kid can be, even though he seems to have everything, and how fallible teachers can be, even when they think they're doing the right thing.
And then there's Jason's knife and Mark being convinced he can follow a map and the basic human decency stuff and I just sit here remembering how wonderful this book was - and is.
The only kind of people Mr. Maxwell disliked more than slackers were environmentally insensitive, buy-the-whole-world rich folks.This same Mr. Maxwell reserves judgement, notices that Mark looks sad, too, and that he's probably bored in class. He reaches out and is rebuffed - Mark's sad and lonely and a fifth-grader! - and promptly convinces himself that he's right for being tougher on Mark.
And the only people he disliked more than rich folks were their lazy, spoiled kids.
And then there's Jason's knife and Mark being convinced he can follow a map and the basic human decency stuff and I just sit here remembering how wonderful this book was - and is.
January 18, 2018
Another entertaining Andre Clements book for our road trip. As always,the book kept my family’s attention, but I felt like the last fourth of the book was a little weak as he tried to tie everything together.
October 26, 2007
Next to Frindle this one was one of my all time favorites. I was sucked into the story and loved the way that the kid was so enthused about survival skills that he actually researched the topic that interested him to the extent that he was able to not only save himself in the woods but his teacher as well.
August 21, 2015
The book A WEEK IN THE WOODS by Andrew Clements was one of my favorite books. It's about a spoiled rich kid name Mark Chelmsley whose parents have half a million dollars and end up moving from the only place he loved to a small town in New Hampshire. Mark decided that he was not going to pay any attention in class. But one day his science teacher Mr.Maxwell decide that he was go to try to get Mark some friends and to lighten up a little bit but it doesn't work so after class Mr.Maxwell calls Mark up to his desk. He hands him the packet of a week in the woods program and Mark just grasp it out of his hands.
About a week after that Mark learn how to snow shoe from his butler Leon and a week after that he slept out in his barn and that's what made him love to camping. Then a month after he slept in the barn alone after that he want to camp out in the woods but his nanny Anya said no unless Leon slept out there with him. When it came time for a week in the woods trip he was ready. On the first day of the trip he got caught with his friend Jason's pocket knife by Mr. Maxwell. Mr Maxwell said that Mark had to go home so why Mr Maxwell was talking to the park ranger Mark escape from the Mr. Maxwells truck and ran in the woods Mr.Maxwell soon found out about Marks escape and ran after him and the ending you will just have to found out for your own.
There reason why you should read this book is because the book gives many a couple of life lessons. The first Lesson that you learn is never be selfish to anybody because they can be selfish back to you. The second lesson that you learn is never bring a knife to school or on a school related field trip. The third and final lesson you learn from reading the book is to open your mind to anything you want to do. Those are the main three reason I like the book the age that I recommend read from at least 8+.
About a week after that Mark learn how to snow shoe from his butler Leon and a week after that he slept out in his barn and that's what made him love to camping. Then a month after he slept in the barn alone after that he want to camp out in the woods but his nanny Anya said no unless Leon slept out there with him. When it came time for a week in the woods trip he was ready. On the first day of the trip he got caught with his friend Jason's pocket knife by Mr. Maxwell. Mr Maxwell said that Mark had to go home so why Mr Maxwell was talking to the park ranger Mark escape from the Mr. Maxwells truck and ran in the woods Mr.Maxwell soon found out about Marks escape and ran after him and the ending you will just have to found out for your own.
There reason why you should read this book is because the book gives many a couple of life lessons. The first Lesson that you learn is never be selfish to anybody because they can be selfish back to you. The second lesson that you learn is never bring a knife to school or on a school related field trip. The third and final lesson you learn from reading the book is to open your mind to anything you want to do. Those are the main three reason I like the book the age that I recommend read from at least 8+.
Currently reading
December 17, 2012I am starting this book and I really like it so far. The author does a great job getting the characters very realistic. The book is about a boy who is moving to New Hamshpire from San Francisco. So far he is in his new house exploring.this book is very realistic and I love it so far.
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October 30, 2008
All 4 of us in my family read this out loud together, for Generations_Read_Together. All of the Clements titles that I've read are good, and have great kid appeal, but he's definitely not my favorite as an adult!
January 11, 2011
It was hard to get in to!! Endind was awesome!!!!!
November 20, 2023
James likes Andrew Clement but he never picked this one up so I read it. It's more of a 3.5 and the title is misleading because they spend very little time in the woods relative to the whole book. The only thing I liked about it is that it showed how adults can also have feelings that make them act illogically and unfairly.
October 10, 2025
Gripping Nature Lessons Accompanied by Weak Characters (and No Illustrations)
I enjoyed reading this book as a kid, so I was pleased to see it included in an Andrew Clements "School Stories" box set that I bought my daughter for Christmas. We just finished reading it, and it was alright! Not nearly as good as Frindle or the Landry News, but still okay.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The story follows Mark Chelmsley, the only son of two super-rich parents who relocate him to a public school in New Hampshire to finish off the school year. Whereas coaches, tutors, and clubs dominated Mark's time in his old hometown, New Hampshire's open schedule and landscape give Mark his first glimpse into the scope of nature and the value of his own time. He takes an interest in the outdoors and begins planning small camping trips on his family's large property. He also works to navigate a difficult relationship with his science teacher Mr. Maxwell after showing lackluster interest in the teacher's pet project: the fifth-grade expedition known as "A Week in the Woods." Mark and Mr. Maxwell's rocky relationship carries on straight through to the beginning of the week, when the two of them suddenly find themselves in a dangerous situation they must face together to survive.
Upsides:
-The outdoor lessons of the book are fun and engaging, especially for kids. I still remember the impressions made on my mind when I first read about Mark learning how to make a fire and use a compass. That part sticks with you!
Downsides:
-The book doesn't have any of the beautiful illustrations that adorn the inside of Frindle. This book could have had some cool ones!
-The two main characters (Mark and Mr. Maxwell) can give the readers whiplash by the many 180-degree attitude/personality changes that they adopt as the story progresses. Mark starts out a slacker but then spontaneously decides to care about school. Mr. Maxwell starts out trying to engage Mark but then randomly decides to turn on him in a pretty brutal, cold way. Those are just a couple of the drastic shifts they embrace. The changes are a little tough to follow, let alone swallow.
I enjoyed reading this book as a kid, so I was pleased to see it included in an Andrew Clements "School Stories" box set that I bought my daughter for Christmas. We just finished reading it, and it was alright! Not nearly as good as Frindle or the Landry News, but still okay.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The story follows Mark Chelmsley, the only son of two super-rich parents who relocate him to a public school in New Hampshire to finish off the school year. Whereas coaches, tutors, and clubs dominated Mark's time in his old hometown, New Hampshire's open schedule and landscape give Mark his first glimpse into the scope of nature and the value of his own time. He takes an interest in the outdoors and begins planning small camping trips on his family's large property. He also works to navigate a difficult relationship with his science teacher Mr. Maxwell after showing lackluster interest in the teacher's pet project: the fifth-grade expedition known as "A Week in the Woods." Mark and Mr. Maxwell's rocky relationship carries on straight through to the beginning of the week, when the two of them suddenly find themselves in a dangerous situation they must face together to survive.
Upsides:
-The outdoor lessons of the book are fun and engaging, especially for kids. I still remember the impressions made on my mind when I first read about Mark learning how to make a fire and use a compass. That part sticks with you!
Downsides:
-The book doesn't have any of the beautiful illustrations that adorn the inside of Frindle. This book could have had some cool ones!
-The two main characters (Mark and Mr. Maxwell) can give the readers whiplash by the many 180-degree attitude/personality changes that they adopt as the story progresses. Mark starts out a slacker but then spontaneously decides to care about school. Mr. Maxwell starts out trying to engage Mark but then randomly decides to turn on him in a pretty brutal, cold way. Those are just a couple of the drastic shifts they embrace. The changes are a little tough to follow, let alone swallow.
May 18, 2019
Spoiled kids can get on teachers' nerves. This is too true for Mr. Maxwell, the fifth grader science teacher at Hardy Elementary School. He has never had a discipline problem in his class. Yet when Mark Chemsley, son of a multi-millionaire, come into class, he just sat and stared out the window. As a result, Mr. Maxwell decided to be harsh on him for the entire school year. His anger only intensifies when Mark arrived at a school camping trip with a frame pack, and other expensive items. But when Mr. Maxwell discovers Mark's friend Jason Frazier's knife, things completely change. Mr. Maxwell discovers that the knife was Jason Frazier's knife, but Mark ran away into the mountains. While tracking Mark, Mr. Maxwell thinks about how badly he has treated Mark. Simultaneously, Mark also thinks about Mr. Maxwell. When the two finally meet up, They forgive each other, and no blame is place on Mark. As a result, Mark has a great time at his camping trip, and Mr. Maxwell is his new favorite teacher.
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July 14, 2008
We listened to this book on the way to and from a holiday camping trip.
It was enjoyable, although, as my son pointed out, "The title isn't really right because he never spends a week in the woods during the book."
As with most children's books, there's a lot to learn, though hopefully in a fun way. In this book, it's how to hike and camp and backpack. We also learn that adults can be fallible and make mistakes, and that kids can change their ways.
Not the best Andrew Clements book that I've come in contact with, but still okay.
It was enjoyable, although, as my son pointed out, "The title isn't really right because he never spends a week in the woods during the book."
As with most children's books, there's a lot to learn, though hopefully in a fun way. In this book, it's how to hike and camp and backpack. We also learn that adults can be fallible and make mistakes, and that kids can change their ways.
Not the best Andrew Clements book that I've come in contact with, but still okay.
Read
June 24, 2009The fifth-grade Week in the woods is a beloved of tradition of Hardy Elementary,where Mark Chelmsley is pretty much killing time before his parents send him off to an exclusive prep school.But then Mark realizes the Week might be a chance to prove to Mr.Maxwell that he's not just another of the slacker rich kids the teacher can't stand.
But it may be too late change Mr.Maxwell's opinion of him.On the first day of the Week,the tension between teacher and student explodes,and in a reckless moment,Mark puts not only himself,but also Mr.Maxwell,in grave danger.
But it may be too late change Mr.Maxwell's opinion of him.On the first day of the Week,the tension between teacher and student explodes,and in a reckless moment,Mark puts not only himself,but also Mr.Maxwell,in grave danger.
June 16, 2019
This story details one young man's experiences when he moves to New Hampshire to go to a new school for a few months before he left to attend a boarding school.
He came from a rich family, and did not even try to fit in right away, but as he discovered the wonders of being outside in nature, he decided to dive in.
We have really enjoyed reading books by Mr. Clements and this story did not disappoint.
I fondly remember my own class camping experience, and while it lacked the drama, it reminded me strongly of this story.
He came from a rich family, and did not even try to fit in right away, but as he discovered the wonders of being outside in nature, he decided to dive in.
We have really enjoyed reading books by Mr. Clements and this story did not disappoint.
I fondly remember my own class camping experience, and while it lacked the drama, it reminded me strongly of this story.
November 6, 2021
I read this book for my Childhood Development class for a Book Buddy Project. I was partnered up with an elementary school student and we would read some chapters every week and write blogs back and forth to each other. This was such a fun read and really enjoyed the project overall. There were so many fun cliffhangers and I needed to pace myself in order for the book to span six weeks for the project. Overall would recommend giving this book a read.
June 28, 2017
Mom and dad's choice for Jacob to read for family summer reading program..krb 6/9/17
Needed to make some changes on our reading program. Putting this aside for a bit..krb 6/22/17
Jacob found the audio in the library and asked to listen to this instead of reading. Now that he is listening while putting legos together he is enjoying this book...krb 6/27/17
Needed to make some changes on our reading program. Putting this aside for a bit..krb 6/22/17
Jacob found the audio in the library and asked to listen to this instead of reading. Now that he is listening while putting legos together he is enjoying this book...krb 6/27/17
January 10, 2018
I liked thought the book a week in the woods by Andrew Clemens was a good book but it got a little boring. I would recommend this book to sixth grade or younger because the main character was in the fifth grade. But other than that I liked it. The character is a little cocky and full of himself but at the end he makes friends. I think this book was pretty good so I give it 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2021
Fun book about a new boy, Mark, in the 5th grade, who happens to have rich parents. He and the science teacher, Mr. Maxwell, get off on the wrong foot. When the whole 5th grade goes to a state park for a week, Mark and Mr. Maxwell have to help each other and they both realize their mistakes and forgive each other. I read it with my 8-year old daughter and we both enjoyed this adventurous book!
March 15, 2019
I absolutely love this book. It's one of my favorite books of all time. It's one of the books that made me really want to learn about nature and become more adventurous when I was older. I love that conservation is talked about and how a teacher learns from a student.
November 3, 2014
I really really love Andrew Clements. His books are so amazing and I can almost never find an author who writes mainly realistic fiction, my favorite genre. It was a pretty quick read, too. I read it in about a day, so it made a good action/adventure book in a time crunch.
April 6, 2015
Good insights into what boys are thinking.
Marvelous description of the setting and characters.
A showdown between an 11-year-old and his teacher occurs at the start of an annual environmental program when they spend a week in a wooded state park.
Marvelous description of the setting and characters.
A showdown between an 11-year-old and his teacher occurs at the start of an annual environmental program when they spend a week in a wooded state park.
September 1, 2007
Great story about misjudging people.
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September 27, 2008It was a really good book! i had to read it over summer vacation.
August 29, 2015
I read this to my 5th grader. It took him a little while to get into it. However, he really got into it in the end. It provoked discussion too.
October 30, 2012
If you have never got lost in a big place find out what it feels like to be lost for a whole week without a single person in the woods with you!!! READ THIS BOOK!!!
December 10, 2015
Good book with a good storyline. Fun to listen to with a lot of interesting turns
September 17, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, as I have previous Clements books. If you have an adventure reader this is a great quick read.
November 29, 2016
i think that i could recomend this book for most people that like adventure out doors and in the woods.
July 2, 2020
Read this to my babysitting kid :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews