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Bethesda Fielding
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman
Ms. Finkleman is just our boring old music teacher.
Or is she?
It all starts with a Special Project in Mr. Melville's Social Studies class: Solve a mystery in your own life. For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore: Ms. Finkleman.
Bethesda is convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life, and she’s determined to find out what it is. But no one is prepared for what she learns. Ms. Finkleman used to be... a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works with none other than timid Ms. Finkleman at the helm!
But the case isn’t quite closed, and the questions continue to swirl forBethesda. Could there be even more to the secret life of Ms. Finkleman than she already revealed? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves the real mystery of Ms. Finkleman once and for all!
Or is she?
It all starts with a Special Project in Mr. Melville's Social Studies class: Solve a mystery in your own life. For seventh grader Bethesda Fielding, one mystery is too tempting to ignore: Ms. Finkleman.
Bethesda is convinced that her mousy Music Fundamentals teacher is hiding a secret life, and she’s determined to find out what it is. But no one is prepared for what she learns. Ms. Finkleman used to be... a rock star? Soon the whole school goes rock crazy, and a giant concert is in the works with none other than timid Ms. Finkleman at the helm!
But the case isn’t quite closed, and the questions continue to swirl forBethesda. Could there be even more to the secret life of Ms. Finkleman than she already revealed? With the help of her rock-obsessed classmate Tenny Boyer, Bethesda won’t stop until she solves the real mystery of Ms. Finkleman once and for all!
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
12 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Ben H. Winters
70 books2,122 followersBen H. Winters is the author most recently of the novel The Quiet Boy (Mulholland/Little, Brown, 2021). He is also the author of the novel Golden State; the New York Times bestselling Underground Airlines; The Last Policeman and its two sequels; the horror novel Bedbugs; and several works for young readers. His first novel, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, was also a Times bestseller. Ben has won the Edgar Award for mystery writing, the Philip K. Dick award in science fiction, the Sidewise Award for alternate history, and France’s Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire.
Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt.
He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help — and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.
Ben also writes for film and television. He is the creator and co-showrunner of Tracker, forthcoming on CBS. Previously he was a producer on the FX show Legion, and on the upcoming Apple TV+ drama Manhunt.
He has contributed short stories to many anthologies, as well as in magazines such as Lightspeed. He is the author of four “Audible Originals”– Stranger, Inside Jobs, Q&A, and Self Help — and several plays and musicals. His reviews appear frequently in the New York Times Book Review. Ben was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Maryland, educated in St. Louis, and then grew up a bunch more, in various ways, in places like Chicago, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. These days he lives in LA with his wife, three kids, and one large dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 10, 2011
Fans of Andrew Clements will enjoy this book! The students find out that their boring music teacher actually used to be a rock star (or was she???)! But Ms. Finkleman is not too happy that her "cover" has been blown. Ms. Finkleman forms a secret alliance with two students - Tenny and Bethesda. Between the three of them, they have to pull off the greatest choral concert ever and find a way for Tenny to pass the "Floating Midterm" exam in their history class so he won't have to go to a different school. I thought the ending was a little rushed and I still had some questions that weren't all the way answered, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. But all in all, a fun read!
May 9, 2018
We first discovered this book five years ago, after reading its sequel, "The Mystery of the Missing Everything." This one, too, was great fun and a delightful read. Same kind of "Tina Fey / Mean Girls" vibe, but aimed at a middle school / junior high level. Nothing risque or rude. Humorous, with the feel of easy banter throughout, but also thoughtful and at times poignant in its consideration of adolescent personality. We'll be watching for more books by this author.
Read the book again to my youngest children, who didn't get to hear it the first time. Loved it as much or more than I had even remembered. Well written, good fun, and a delight to share. Check it out!
Read the book again to my youngest children, who didn't get to hear it the first time. Loved it as much or more than I had even remembered. Well written, good fun, and a delight to share. Check it out!
April 1, 2020
Mr. Melville is the kind of sixth-grade history teacher who says things like, "Ah! Mr. Lashey! You've decided to favor us with your company! What a pleasant surprise!" and who announces a "floating midterm" exam that could come at any time, on a day's notice, and accounts for one-third of your grade. On the plus side, he has a whimsical streak that leads him, for example, to assign special presentations about whatever interests each student. Bethesda Fielding takes his latest Special Project – to get to the bottom of some mystery – and runs with it, uncovering the secret identity of Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School's mousy music teacher, Ms. Finkleman. Bethesda's announcement that the shy, soft-spoken teacher used to headline an all-girl punk rock band astounds everyone, and leads the school's eccentric principal to order Ms. Finkleman to forget about entering a program of traditional English folk ballads in a music competition called the Choral Corral, and instead to prepare a rock concert.
To make the rock concert come off, and to pay Bethesda back for outing her, Ms. Finkleman strikes a deal: Bethesda will tutor an easily distracted, rock music obsessed classmate named Tenny to make it through Melville's floating midterm, and Tenny will actually put together the rock concert. The sixth-grade music class forms three bands, each learning a song from a different decade and the whole group working up an encore number for the Choral Corral. They start out sounding awful, but with Tenny coaching them in a way that makes it seem like Ms. Finkleman is doing so, they gradually pull together as a band (I mean, three bands) and are about ready to rock the town when Melville announces the surprise exam on the eve of the contest. This last-minute crisis goads Bethesda and Tenny into desperate undertakings, with the pride of Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School on the line.
This is a heartwarming and hilarious tale about middle school friendship, the love of music, the pressure of performing, and making peace with people who have hurt you or been hurt by you. It is full of zany characters, including a classically trained boy pianist who "needs to rock," a pathologically competitive principal who makes embarrassing bets with the head of a competing school, a goofy assistant principal and an overachiever whose cold, unnurturing father stands in the doorway saying "there, there" at her without moving a step closer, and who proceeds to coach her on how to blackmail a teacher into letting her will be done. Bethesda and Tenny don't come out squeaky clean, considering the choices they make, but their music class catches an enthusiasm for rock music that's really infectious.
Ben H. Winters is the author of the parody/pastiche novels Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina, the Last Policeman trilogy (The Last Policeman, Countdown City and World of Trouble), the speculative fiction novels Bedbugs, Underground Airlines and Golden State, and this book's sequel, The Mystery of the Missing Everything.
To make the rock concert come off, and to pay Bethesda back for outing her, Ms. Finkleman strikes a deal: Bethesda will tutor an easily distracted, rock music obsessed classmate named Tenny to make it through Melville's floating midterm, and Tenny will actually put together the rock concert. The sixth-grade music class forms three bands, each learning a song from a different decade and the whole group working up an encore number for the Choral Corral. They start out sounding awful, but with Tenny coaching them in a way that makes it seem like Ms. Finkleman is doing so, they gradually pull together as a band (I mean, three bands) and are about ready to rock the town when Melville announces the surprise exam on the eve of the contest. This last-minute crisis goads Bethesda and Tenny into desperate undertakings, with the pride of Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School on the line.
This is a heartwarming and hilarious tale about middle school friendship, the love of music, the pressure of performing, and making peace with people who have hurt you or been hurt by you. It is full of zany characters, including a classically trained boy pianist who "needs to rock," a pathologically competitive principal who makes embarrassing bets with the head of a competing school, a goofy assistant principal and an overachiever whose cold, unnurturing father stands in the doorway saying "there, there" at her without moving a step closer, and who proceeds to coach her on how to blackmail a teacher into letting her will be done. Bethesda and Tenny don't come out squeaky clean, considering the choices they make, but their music class catches an enthusiasm for rock music that's really infectious.
Ben H. Winters is the author of the parody/pastiche novels Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina, the Last Policeman trilogy (The Last Policeman, Countdown City and World of Trouble), the speculative fiction novels Bedbugs, Underground Airlines and Golden State, and this book's sequel, The Mystery of the Missing Everything.
June 10, 2019
Ruddy middle-grade chapter books are often my trashy read of choice, but this one I should have DNF'd. I kept hoping it would turn itself around, but by the time I realized it wasn't going to, I was too far gone to quit. Anyway, I'm unclear why none of the editors caught that "mic" is the shortened version of microphone, not "mike", and I'm double unclear what good reason Ms Finkleman had for not speaking to her (spoiler) twin sister for nearly two decades over a mid-nineties record contract, but that's the book that got written.
There are a million better books out there about kids and rock and roll, you don't need to bother with this one. (Though I appreciate that rock helped piano-genius Kevin find his love of music again. Kids finding love of music through rock/punk is great, but there are lots of books that explore this without a bunch of emotionally stunted cardboard adults.)
There are a million better books out there about kids and rock and roll, you don't need to bother with this one. (Though I appreciate that rock helped piano-genius Kevin find his love of music again. Kids finding love of music through rock/punk is great, but there are lots of books that explore this without a bunch of emotionally stunted cardboard adults.)
January 1, 2023
Mr. Melville's Social Studies class is known for two things: his Special Projects and his floating midterm. The Special Project, to solve a mystery in your own life, starts seventh grader Bethesda Fielding thinking about the mystery of timid Ms. Finkleman. Bethesda's discovery sets in motion a series of events that has the entire school abuzz, a new direction for the Choral Corral, and a change in many a classmates personalities. The arrival of the floating midterm brings its own set of challenges which can bring many plans to a crashing halt. Winters does a fine job creating believable and relatable characters. Although the plot is slightly predictable there are enough little zig-zags from the expected path to provide continued interest in a comfortable read.
July 5, 2019
This really was a cute book. Winters writing paints a picture in your head or maybe a movie as you read this book & it keeps you engaged the whole time. Betheseda is given an assignment to solve a mystery, so she decides to find out who her music teacher Ms. Finkleman really is. She learns some shocking things & has a lot of fun doing it. She doesn't expect what she finds at all!
December 26, 2019
Cute. Nicki and I first got to know Winters through his amazing adult novels. But, he seemed to be really enjoying himself writing the adventures of young Ms. Fielding and her fellow students at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School. Fun reads, and great kid adventures. I look forward to the second volume.
June 11, 2018
I love books like this. It was great getting to know the characters and how they handled the different situations.
July 3, 2019
That turned out to be much more fun than the beginning led me to expect!
September 14, 2020
A quick read, occasionally skimmed, but overall a neat plot and some enjoyable lines.
November 1, 2020
Most of us don't ever want to relive middle school, but this book is worth it. A seriously fun read: well written, well defined characters, and the perfect mystery for seventh graders.
September 2, 2016
In The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, a wonderful middle grade novel by Ben H. Winters, 7th grader Bethesda Fielding is assigned an interesting project - her social studies teacher wants her to identify a mystery in her own life, and then solve it. Convinced that there is some secret reason that no student or faculty member knows anything about the Music Fundamentals teacher, Ms. Finkleman, she decides to investigate her background and figure out what she's hiding. What Bethesda reveals during her class presentation - that Ms. Finkleman is a former rock star - quickly grows into a school phenomenon, and within days, the principal has Ms. Finkleman planning a rock concert for the upcoming choral corral competition. Ms. Finkleman reluctantly accepts this assignment, but as the story goes on, it becomes clear that she has more than one skeleton in her closet, and that all is not as it seems.
I love this book mainly for its tongue-in-cheek observations about life inside a middle school. The way the faculty and many of the students are portrayed kept reminding me of MTV's Daria, which gave a lot of humorous commentary about high school back in the late 90s/early 2000s, and of Glee, which continues poking fun at public education in the 21st century. The characters in this book are exaggerated just enough to be funny, but not so much that they become cartoonish. I think Winters is especially observant when it comes to the interest students have in the private lives of their teachers, and he has also done a wonderful job of portraying the many different cliques that form during early adolescence without creating tired stereotypes out of each character.
The musical references in this book make it a great read for kids who are getting into classic rock, or who dream of starting a band, as well as for middle school music teachers, who will see themselves and their students in the story. It would also go over well with kids in search of good mystery books, as well as fans of humorous writers such as Andrew Clements, Louis Sachar, and Gordon Korman.
I'll end this review with just a quick excerpt from the book. This is my favorite passage, because it perfectly describes my memory of middle school:
There is no sound in the world quite like that of a middle school emptying of its student body on a Friday afternoon. First, there is the high, shrill clang of the seventh-period bell, followed immediately by a tremendous echoing BANG! as the classroom doors burst open like dozens of dams breaking at once.Then comes the rubbery squeak of a couple hundred pairs of sneakers all rushing over dirty linoleum, followed by and interspersing with the metallic clatter of a couple hundred lockers hurriedly being thrown open. Loudest of all is the din of the children themselves: the boys, ramming into the walls as they try to get around one another in a great ungainly race for the doors; the girls, squealing giddily and shrieking out plans to meet later at the mall, or Shira's house, or Sheila's house, but is it Sheila's mom's house or Sheila's dad's house? And on and on, the voices getting louder and louder, reaching higher and higher pitches of excitement, until the last kid flies out and the big double-doors shut at last. Then silence.
Though he has not yet written any other middle grade novels, Ben H. Winters is also the author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina. He blogs at The H. Stands for Blog.
I love this book mainly for its tongue-in-cheek observations about life inside a middle school. The way the faculty and many of the students are portrayed kept reminding me of MTV's Daria, which gave a lot of humorous commentary about high school back in the late 90s/early 2000s, and of Glee, which continues poking fun at public education in the 21st century. The characters in this book are exaggerated just enough to be funny, but not so much that they become cartoonish. I think Winters is especially observant when it comes to the interest students have in the private lives of their teachers, and he has also done a wonderful job of portraying the many different cliques that form during early adolescence without creating tired stereotypes out of each character.
The musical references in this book make it a great read for kids who are getting into classic rock, or who dream of starting a band, as well as for middle school music teachers, who will see themselves and their students in the story. It would also go over well with kids in search of good mystery books, as well as fans of humorous writers such as Andrew Clements, Louis Sachar, and Gordon Korman.
I'll end this review with just a quick excerpt from the book. This is my favorite passage, because it perfectly describes my memory of middle school:
There is no sound in the world quite like that of a middle school emptying of its student body on a Friday afternoon. First, there is the high, shrill clang of the seventh-period bell, followed immediately by a tremendous echoing BANG! as the classroom doors burst open like dozens of dams breaking at once.Then comes the rubbery squeak of a couple hundred pairs of sneakers all rushing over dirty linoleum, followed by and interspersing with the metallic clatter of a couple hundred lockers hurriedly being thrown open. Loudest of all is the din of the children themselves: the boys, ramming into the walls as they try to get around one another in a great ungainly race for the doors; the girls, squealing giddily and shrieking out plans to meet later at the mall, or Shira's house, or Sheila's house, but is it Sheila's mom's house or Sheila's dad's house? And on and on, the voices getting louder and louder, reaching higher and higher pitches of excitement, until the last kid flies out and the big double-doors shut at last. Then silence.
Though he has not yet written any other middle grade novels, Ben H. Winters is also the author of Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina. He blogs at The H. Stands for Blog.
Read
July 19, 2020loved it the twist was awesome
October 16, 2019
This book is about Bethesda Fielding, a seventh grader, and her special project. It is a really good mystery because it keeps changing the reader's idea about the ending so you would want to read to the end.
March 23, 2011
Bethesda Fielding, while working on and completing a special project for her social studies class, discovers the answer to a baffling mystery about her music teacher, Ms. Finkleman. After scrounging and snooping around, Bethesda finds out that Ms. Finkleman was in a rock band a few years ago and they were good! Little Miss Mystery and the Red Herrings featured none other than their teacher, Ida Finkleman...how come she is a fuddy-duddy, classical music loving, boring teacher at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School? That's the bigger question.
When word gets out, dastardly principal Isabella Van Vreeland uses the information to her advantage and coerses Ida to feature a rock and roll performance for the Choral Corral competition between the area middle schools. Isabella is sure they'll win, since they have a real live rock star in their midst. But, Ida has a few tricks up her sleeve too, and enlists musically gifted Tenny Boyer to produce the show, as long as he will study and agree to be tutored by Bethesda in order to pass the 'floating midterm' given by the social studies teacher. It's all very complicated, but things don't turn out quite as planned.
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman is very Andrew Clements-like in writing and plot. A fun mystery with lots of rock and roll references... OH! and I loved the cover of the book, that's what drew me to the book.
When word gets out, dastardly principal Isabella Van Vreeland uses the information to her advantage and coerses Ida to feature a rock and roll performance for the Choral Corral competition between the area middle schools. Isabella is sure they'll win, since they have a real live rock star in their midst. But, Ida has a few tricks up her sleeve too, and enlists musically gifted Tenny Boyer to produce the show, as long as he will study and agree to be tutored by Bethesda in order to pass the 'floating midterm' given by the social studies teacher. It's all very complicated, but things don't turn out quite as planned.
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman is very Andrew Clements-like in writing and plot. A fun mystery with lots of rock and roll references... OH! and I loved the cover of the book, that's what drew me to the book.
February 23, 2011
Summary from Booklist: Ms. Finkleman, a mild-mannered Music Fundamentals teacher, is a completely anonymous figure at Mary Todd Lincoln Middle School. She is such a nonentity that ace student Bethesda Fielding determines there must be more to her—a secret history that needs to be uncovered. When Bethesda discovers her teacher’s punk-music past, the repercussions are hilarious, revolutionary, and TWR (“Totally Way Rock”)
Mr. Melville is notorious for assigning "special projects" in his social studies class. Who knew his assignment "to solve a mystery" would turn the quiet mouse-like music teacher's life upside down.
Students who enjoy Andrew Clements' (Frindle, No Talking, etc) style of writing. It is a quick, engaging read that will also serve as an introduction to mysteries. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a good pace. Students will enjoy the musical references. Would make a great read a loud for the classroom.
Mrs. Archer's rating: 5 of 5
Mr. Melville is notorious for assigning "special projects" in his social studies class. Who knew his assignment "to solve a mystery" would turn the quiet mouse-like music teacher's life upside down.
Students who enjoy Andrew Clements' (Frindle, No Talking, etc) style of writing. It is a quick, engaging read that will also serve as an introduction to mysteries. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along at a good pace. Students will enjoy the musical references. Would make a great read a loud for the classroom.
Mrs. Archer's rating: 5 of 5
July 14, 2010
This book was just a fun read in the vein of the Frindle era Andrew Clements with an enjoyable main character, solid plot, and a few predictable and entertaining twists... however it has 3 main issues that concern me and hold it back from a higher level...
1. Marketing: The cover just looks dated... I could see an arm with a tattoo... I can see musical instruments... I could see the punk album cover... but two kids... and that girl... uuuurrrggghhhh...
2. Cheaters never prosper... except in this book... I think the ending is really bothersome, unrealistic and sends a bad message to students...
3. Going along with that the ending just did not work... the adults acted like stereotypes and the kids were morons (even stated in the book)...
I know there is a little time left before publication, and this is the kind of fun read that would be great for reluctant readers and rockers, but the cover and ending need tweaks...
1. Marketing: The cover just looks dated... I could see an arm with a tattoo... I can see musical instruments... I could see the punk album cover... but two kids... and that girl... uuuurrrggghhhh...
2. Cheaters never prosper... except in this book... I think the ending is really bothersome, unrealistic and sends a bad message to students...
3. Going along with that the ending just did not work... the adults acted like stereotypes and the kids were morons (even stated in the book)...
I know there is a little time left before publication, and this is the kind of fun read that would be great for reluctant readers and rockers, but the cover and ending need tweaks...
April 8, 2015
I really liked this book it was interesting, Bethesda is a 7th grader, and she is assigned an assignment for her Social Studies Class the assignment is to solve a mystery of her life. Bethesda decides that she wants to find more about her Music Teacher Ms.Finkleman she was an old lady that most people did care about.
Bethesda thinks that Ms.Finkleman her music teacher is hiding something, And Bethesda wants to find out what it is, so she starts to investigate. Bethesda learns that her music teacher use to be a rock star!!! People aren't really expecting this from this old teacher. A concert was developing for Ms.Finkleman, But then Bethesda thinks about it and keeps on wondering about this music teacher she wants but she is going to need more help to discover more about Ms.Finkleman so Tony who is someone in her class helps her. I would really recommend this book there is more to her just being a rock star.
Bethesda thinks that Ms.Finkleman her music teacher is hiding something, And Bethesda wants to find out what it is, so she starts to investigate. Bethesda learns that her music teacher use to be a rock star!!! People aren't really expecting this from this old teacher. A concert was developing for Ms.Finkleman, But then Bethesda thinks about it and keeps on wondering about this music teacher she wants but she is going to need more help to discover more about Ms.Finkleman so Tony who is someone in her class helps her. I would really recommend this book there is more to her just being a rock star.
March 3, 2011
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman is a fun, engaging middle grade read.
When 7th grader Bethseda Fielding is giving a class assignment to solve a mystery, she takes it upon herself to find out who their shy, mousy voiced music teacher, Ms Finkleman really is. When her ambitions of solving the mystery get ahead of her, Bethseda will not only have gained new friends, helped some of her fellow students discover their talents and turn the school upside down with her latest discovery, but she'll learn an important lesson from Ms. Finkleman herself.
Ben's writing really paints a vivid picture of middle school, and it's not hard to see why middle graders would enjoy this read. Mix that with some wonderful relatable characters, and add an awesome plot that has a mystery and a little of rock rock and roll, and the end result is a book I would highly recommend 5th-7th graders pick up and read.
When 7th grader Bethseda Fielding is giving a class assignment to solve a mystery, she takes it upon herself to find out who their shy, mousy voiced music teacher, Ms Finkleman really is. When her ambitions of solving the mystery get ahead of her, Bethseda will not only have gained new friends, helped some of her fellow students discover their talents and turn the school upside down with her latest discovery, but she'll learn an important lesson from Ms. Finkleman herself.
Ben's writing really paints a vivid picture of middle school, and it's not hard to see why middle graders would enjoy this read. Mix that with some wonderful relatable characters, and add an awesome plot that has a mystery and a little of rock rock and roll, and the end result is a book I would highly recommend 5th-7th graders pick up and read.
March 3, 2011
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman is a fun, engaging middle grade read.
When 7th grader Bethseda Fielding is giving a class assignment to solve a mystery, she takes it upon herself to find out who their shy, mousy voiced music teacher, Ms Finkleman really is. When her ambitions of solving the mystery get ahead of her, Bethseda will not only have gained new friends, helped some of her fellow students discover their talents and turn the school upside down with her latest discovery, but she'll learn an important lesson from Ms. Finkleman herself.
Ben's writing really paints a vivid picture of middle school, and it's not hard to see why middle graders would enjoy this read. Mix that with some wonderful relatable characters, and add an awesome plot that has a mystery and a little of rock rock and roll, and the end result is a book I would highly recommend 5th-7th graders pick up and read.
When 7th grader Bethseda Fielding is giving a class assignment to solve a mystery, she takes it upon herself to find out who their shy, mousy voiced music teacher, Ms Finkleman really is. When her ambitions of solving the mystery get ahead of her, Bethseda will not only have gained new friends, helped some of her fellow students discover their talents and turn the school upside down with her latest discovery, but she'll learn an important lesson from Ms. Finkleman herself.
Ben's writing really paints a vivid picture of middle school, and it's not hard to see why middle graders would enjoy this read. Mix that with some wonderful relatable characters, and add an awesome plot that has a mystery and a little of rock rock and roll, and the end result is a book I would highly recommend 5th-7th graders pick up and read.
September 25, 2011
"The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman" is about a brainiac girl named Bethesda Feildings and a total spaced out kid named Tenny Boyer. It all started in a history project, solve your own mystery. Some other kids in Bethesda's class did stupid things like why hot dogs come in packeges in 12 when hot dog buns are in packeges of 8? Well Bethesda got a interesting one... what is Ms. Finkleman's real life? When she found a list of songs in Ms. Finkleman's drawer, is it ture... Did Ms. Finkleman used to be a rockstar? Suddenly, the school started going rock crazy, including Tenny, a rock obested kid. But is there more to the mystery though? Did Ms. Finkleman had a identical twin that was a rockstar?
This really good book by Ben H. Winters makes a story about a mystery that nobady belived. I say this is mysteriouse and "clamfodle." This book deserves 4 stars!
This really good book by Ben H. Winters makes a story about a mystery that nobady belived. I say this is mysteriouse and "clamfodle." This book deserves 4 stars!
July 16, 2012
I enjoyed reading how Bethesda Fielding completed her social studies assignment of finding a mystery and solving it. She decided to unearth the mystery behind her music fundamentals teacher, Ms. Finkleman. She discovers and announces during her presentation that Ms. Finkleman was a rock star from the 1990s band Little Miss Mystery and the Red Herrings. The school goes crazy especially when they find out that they are putting on a rock show in the annual All-County Choral Corral.
Lots of interaction between students in her class especially a rock obsessed boy named Tenny Boyer. The administration is funny that the principals bet between themselves which school will win what event. The dares are so funny, especially what the loser has to do for the music contest.
Great read.
Lots of interaction between students in her class especially a rock obsessed boy named Tenny Boyer. The administration is funny that the principals bet between themselves which school will win what event. The dares are so funny, especially what the loser has to do for the music contest.
Great read.
August 3, 2013
I really wanted to like this one so much more than I did. When Bethesda's seventh grade history class is instructed to solve a mystery she discovers that the school's mousy, near invisible music teacher used to be a punk rock singer!
But what made Ms. Finkleman leave it all behind? And will the class be able to pull together the rock show to end all rock shows in time to win the Chorus Corral?
The book was fun, and I was really rooting for the kids. However I'm not sure how many readers will really get the musical references (Tori Amos? Al Green? They Might Be Giants?), and Ms. Finkleman's big secret at the end left me feeling kind of like, "Oh? That's it?". I saw it coming, but kids might not. Plus the ending was a little too neat.
Fifth & sixth graders who are into music, but not so much into mysteries will most likely enjoy the book.
But what made Ms. Finkleman leave it all behind? And will the class be able to pull together the rock show to end all rock shows in time to win the Chorus Corral?
The book was fun, and I was really rooting for the kids. However I'm not sure how many readers will really get the musical references (Tori Amos? Al Green? They Might Be Giants?), and Ms. Finkleman's big secret at the end left me feeling kind of like, "Oh? That's it?". I saw it coming, but kids might not. Plus the ending was a little too neat.
Fifth & sixth graders who are into music, but not so much into mysteries will most likely enjoy the book.
abandoned
February 28, 2011I'm enjoying the idea, but there's an annoying little thing that keeps bugging me: the author keeps using first and last names together of the students, after they've been introduced, and some of those names are tricky. It really seems to slow down the reading aloud. Which is one reason why I advise anyone writing for MG or younger to read their texts aloud before publication. It makes a difference.
***
We were liking it just okay, and couldn't manage to finish it even when it was more than a week overdue at the library. Even though this one didn't rock us, I'd be willing to try the author again with the next book.
***
We were liking it just okay, and couldn't manage to finish it even when it was more than a week overdue at the library. Even though this one didn't rock us, I'd be willing to try the author again with the next book.
April 5, 2016
You never know what answers you'll find when you tease apart the threads of a mystery. Bethesda certainly didn't know that she would upend the school and a teacher's life by trying to learn something (anything!) about mousy Ms. Finkleman's past. The music teacher doesn't seem particularly interesting, but Bethesda is determined to dig up something juicy.
There's a good deal about this book that simply doesn't make sense, but it's a fun riff on a "School of Rock" theme. The characters are all taken to comedic extremes, which (surprisingly) still makes for an enjoyable if unbelievable read.
There's a good deal about this book that simply doesn't make sense, but it's a fun riff on a "School of Rock" theme. The characters are all taken to comedic extremes, which (surprisingly) still makes for an enjoyable if unbelievable read.
March 10, 2013
This is a fun, well-written story of a group of middleschoolers who are assigned a special project. They are to solve a mystery in their own lives. Bethesda decides that her music teacher, Ms. Finkleman, has a secret life, and she sets out to uncover it. The results are surprising, and in the process of her research, many lives are changed, including Bethesda's. This is a great depiction of the life of a middleschooler and all the anxiety/excitement that comes with that. The character development is good, the story is fun, and the added element of mystery bring even more interest to the story. This is a good read for older elementary kids and young adults (and adults, too!).
December 30, 2010
One part Harriet the Spy, one part adolescent friendship, one part Rock and Roll, with a style similar to a novel by Andrew Clements. Bethesda's social studies teacher asks his students to find a mystery in their lives and solve it. Bethesda decides she will learn more about Ms. Finklestein, the reclusive music teacher. Her search for information leads her to believe that Ms. Finkleman actually used to be Little Miss Mystery, a rock star from the Red Herrings. Her discovery turns her middle school on end…
January 20, 2015
This was a cute story about a special homework assignment, a secret in a teacher’s past, and a school music competition. This book has just enough angles in it to interest both boys and girls – especially those into music and mystery solving. The music aspect references some popular bands and songs, however they may not be familiar to the age appropriate with reading it. This would be a great step up for the kids that enjoy A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy or The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne. I recommend this book to 3rd to 6th graders.
March 10, 2016
This was a wonderful surprise. I picked up this book from the library, because I'm pretty sure that Brett Helquist illustrated the cover. Then I thought the back of the book sounded interesting.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to and the characters are lovely. And this book is legitimately funny. I thought that the end dragged on a bit too long, and there were a couple of things about the end that at I didn't quite like, but as a whole I loved it. I'm really looking forward to reading its sequel.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to and the characters are lovely. And this book is legitimately funny. I thought that the end dragged on a bit too long, and there were a couple of things about the end that at I didn't quite like, but as a whole I loved it. I'm really looking forward to reading its sequel.
February 4, 2011
An ambitious student takes on a mystery and turns her whole school unpside down, forming new friends, finding new talents, and very possibly saving a familial relationship in the process. The mystery of just who the mousy, drab music teacher really is- and was- is a surprise. The writing is great, characters well developed, and music references much to my liking (Weezer for band practice anyone?!) This will be HUGE with the 5th - 7th grade crowd!
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