Gargoyles Don't Drive School Buses

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #19

by Marcia Thornton Jones, Marcia Thornton Jones, John Steven Gurney (Illustrations)

The Bailey City Library is in an old, gothic building with six large gargoyles perched on the roof. At least, there used to be six. Now there are only five . . . and the new bus driver, Mr. Stone, looks exactly like one of the statues! Could Mr. Stone be a living gargoyle?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Paranormal

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Marcia Thornton Jones has published 131 books for children with sales totaling more than 43 million copies world-wide. Her works include CHAMP (mid-grade novel), RATFINK (mid-grade novel), GODZILLA ATE MY HOMEWORK (chapter book), THE TALE OF JACK FROST (picture book) and LEPRECHAUN ON THE LOOSE (picture book). She is the co-author of seven popular series including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, Keyholders, Ghostville Elementary, The Bailey School Kids Jr. Chapter Books, Triplet Trouble, Bailey City Monsters, and The Barkley School for Dogs.

Marcia has been listed as a top 100 author by the Educational Paperback Association and selected for the Children’s Top 100 Books list by the National Education Association, International Reading Associations Children’s Choice Award. Marcia's books have received many honors and have appeared on on the Publisher's Weekly Bestsellers lists,

Marcia, a full time writer living in Lexington, Kentucky enjoys presenting at schools and conferences. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, she easily relates the importance of writing to students of all ages.

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gargoyles Don't Drive School Buses starts with our four main protagonists Melody ,Liza Eddie and Howie talking about a school projectt hey have learning about different rock formations. They decide to go to the local library to borrow some books, but before getting there, they run into their new bus driver Mr.Stone. Mr.Stone is a big ,sunglass wearing man that talks with a gravely voice and is very cold when you shake his hand.The four kids end up at the library and see that the library is pretty wrecked. Pipes leaking and windows busted. They soon learn that the old library is being demolished and being replaced with a new library. The kids love the Library though and really seem to like the six gargoyles on top of the structure .Speaking of which Howie seems to think the gargoyles move and sometimes disappear and one even looks like Mr.Stone and even more coincidences seem to indicate that Mr. Stone is in fact one of the gargoyles. When they go up to investigate they find a pair of sunglasses and they think they are Mr. Stones. One of the kids slap the gargoyles on the arm and the next day Mr. Stone has a bruise, which makes no sense. Slapping a rock and giving it a bruise ? That's one strong kid! Anyway this one was okay, not one of my favorites. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the library and just the setting in general. Mr. Stone just wasn't that intresting in my opinion and I wish they clarified more on who was fixing the library .I give Gargoyles Don't Drive School Buses a three out of five stars.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the idea of the kids saving the old library, but I just didn't buy ending.

I kinda liked the idea of the gargoyles coming to life to try and save the library, and how the kids wanted to help them too, which is why I decided to give it 4 stars.

I usually love the endings, and even though the ending with the gargoyle possibly winking at Liza made me really happy, I just hated the part where they were protesting the demolition. I guess I just didn't buy it.

I still liked it though

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new bus driver, Mr. Stone was stiff and like a rock. The kids thought he looked familiar and they couldn't figure out why until they had to go to the library for a school project. The library was an old, gothic style, stone building with gargoyles on the roof. Mr. Stone looked exactly like one of those gargoyles!

The kids learn that the building is going to be torn down to be replaced by a new bigger one and that is when they became concerned. Not only is the building beautiful, they're convinced that Mr. Stone lives on top of that roof so they want to find a way to stop the demolition. Do you think they be able to do so in time?

This series is perfect for Elementary students and includes excellent illustrations.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww they were trying to save the library! On a side note, I can relate a lot to that as my hometown library is getting ready to move to a future location, but we still want to preserve the old library.

I really enjoy this series. It’s very easy to read and has a fantasy element to it. Can’t say it’s very original as it has the same formula for every book in the series. In every book One of the kids thinks someone is some kind of supernatural beast and Eddie takes up the challenge to prove them wrong.

But I what makes me still love this series all these year later is the mystery of each story. You never truly find out if the kids were right or not. There’s always an ounce of doubt and just when they think they solved the mystery, the person in question always disappears.

[Savani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gargoyles Don’t Drive School Buses is another playful mystery from The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, and this time the weirdness begins the moment a strange new bus driver arrives. Mr. Stone looks oddly familiar to the kids, and when they notice the gargoyles on the old library roof seem to be shifting positions, they begin to wonder if their spooky suspicions might actually be true.

The children’s school assignment sends them to the local library, which is already falling apart. Rumors of a new building and the demolition of the old one only add to the tension. Someone seems to be watching them, and Howie is certain the gargoyles have moved. Though Eddie loudly tries to prove there’s nothing magical going on, the group can’t help sneaking past a “Do Not Enter” sign and climbing up to the roof to investigate. All they find is a mysterious pair of sunglasses and plenty of confusion.

As plans to tear down the library ramp up, Liza starts a petition to save the historic building. The children’s determination brings them back to the library after dark, where the wind, shadows, and stone figures keep everyone guessing. Are the gargoyles alive, or is it all just imagination?

In classic Bailey School Kids fashion, the story ends with a blend of mystery and mischief. A town protest leads to a compromise, the mayor approves an expansion instead of a demolition, and soon the renovated library is open once more, gargoyles intact.

This book delivers the series’ signature mix of humor, suspense, and just-maybe-magic. It’s a fun read for anyone who enjoys mysteries with a supernatural twist and characters who are always ready to investigate the impossible.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Bailey School Kids are back in full form. The plot is a little circular- it all takes place in the library and the plot points are the same things several times. But the kids personalities shine through, and the gargoyles are appropriately spooky for young kids who like their books a little spooky. My 7yo is a big fan.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this book. My favorite part of this book was how they save the library and how Mr. Stone also love the library and how they were so brave to go on top of the roof and at night at night. I wish I could be that brave sometime.

[Laura Schrillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son liked this book very much and it was enjoyable to have him it read to me. Will look for more of these books.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this one!

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good story, not every book in the series captures what works about these kids books but this one definitely did.

[Josh Epp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fun. It was good to come back and palette cleanse! Enjoy this universe alot!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the nineteenth book in The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones. The stories are very short, easy reads and all have a similar theme, so they are somewhat predictable, just based on the title of the book. Still, they are entertaining and I especially liked this one because it features the town library so prominently in the story.

[BookeryBliss · Rating 3 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.

[Izlinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose it was appropriate I read this book while in a library (though a new modern one, not an old Gothic library) on the cusp of Halloween weekend.

I've a soft spot for libraries which is basically the only reason I gave this book an extra star from my usual rating. It's not that educational in terms of learning something new, but I like how it flows.

[Molly]

A silly series that creates more questions than it answers. It's great for formulating theories as well as predictions. The class dynamics should be very familiar to those of the Magic School Bus generation.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the Bailey School Kids books. Yes, they are basically for elementary school kids, but they are so cute. I hope that my kids enjoy them when they get older, especially since we have so many. There are a ton of these books, but I had never read this one until recently.

[Riegs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this as one of the more touching episodes of the BSK because the kids take more consideration about how they might hurt Mr. Stone's feelings, and because they work so hard to save the library. This would be a good lesson in character motivation.

[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]

This was a weird one, but of course I still read it. It took me a while to finish reading it though. These were the best books ever, I could not put them down.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

they got a new bus driver. his name was mr. stone. mr. stone looks like a gargoyle. liza thought the gargoyles could move!

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I like gargoyles. I also liked this book because I like going to the library.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really sweet story, especially regarding gentrification/not recognizing an area's history.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

great when ur little