Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teachers House #4

Sachar, Louis

ISBN 10: 067991949X ISBN 13: 9780679919490

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1994

Synopsis

This chapter book in Newbery Honor–winning and bestselling author Louis Sachar’s Marvin Redpost series shows what happens when Marvin gets his first job.
 
Marvin is really excited to take care of his teacher’s dog while she’s away. He’ll even earn a bonus if he does a good job! And he gets to be alone in his teacher’s house! But when Mrs. North’s dog starts to look sick, Marvin isn’t sure he’ll get that bonus. In fact, Mrs. North may never talk to Marvin again!
 
Hilarious and relatable, Marvin Redpost is perfect for kids who love to bond with quirky characters like Junie B. Jones and George Brown, Class Clown.

About this title

About the Author

To research this book, Louis Sachar actually tasted dog food. “It’s just the way I described it in the book,” says Louis. “Like cereal. But kind of gritty.”

Louis Sachar is the bestselling author of the award-winning novel Holes, as well as Small Steps, The Cardturner, Stanley Yelnats’ Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake, There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, The Boy Who Lost His Face, Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, and the rest of the Marvin Redpost series, among many others. Visit him at louissachar.com.

From the Inside Flap

ack-and-white. Marvin's friends think he's the luckiest boy in the world when his teacher asks him to dog-sit for a week. He gets to be alone in Mrs. North's house! But pretty soon it starts to look as if Marvin is not so lucky after all...."This title will lure the most reluctant readers, who will be as glad to make Marvin's acquaintance as his old fans will be to greet a new adventure."--Bulletin, Center for Children's Books.

Reviews

Gr. 2-4. The latest easy chapter book about Marvin starts off with the usual hilarious comedy. Marvin's teacher asks him to care for her aging dog, Waldo, while she's away for a week, and she gives Marvin the key to her house. First, there's the shock of seeing his teacher with a life outside the classroom ("Mrs. North was almost like a real person"). All his classmates envy him. He tries to act mature and responsible, not allowing his friends in Mrs. North's house, walking Waldo, coaxing Waldo to eat, even eating the dog food himself to make sure it's all right. But Waldo won't eat, and the story takes a surprising turn when the dog dies. Marvin must cope with his feelings of guilt and sadness and with his isolation as the kids at school and the substitute teacher turn on him. The farcical cover showing an embarrassed Marvin in his teacher's clothes closet is totally misleading. However, readers will relate to the tension and reversal in the story. They'll recognize Marvin's feelings, both the humor of having to confront your teacher as a person and the sorrow at the death of a beloved pet. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 067991949X
• ISBN 13: 9780679919490
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Record Adam
• Number of pages: 96