The War with Mr Wizzle by Gordon Korman

Although Megan has turned up her nose at many of the children's books I have recommended to her, I'm pleased that she likes Gordon Korman because it means I get to re-read these childhood favourites. Amazingly, though his books seem to lack depth and tend toward the formulaic, I still find them entertaining and funny. (I re-read "No Coins Please" and the "Bugs Potter" books on a regular basis and they still make me laugh every time.)

"The War With Mr Wizzle", which Megan picked up over the weekend during a trip to The Book Man, is part of a series that revolves around the lives and antics of some students of indeterminate age who attend McDonald Hall, a fictional boys' boarding school somewhere on the outskirts of Toronto. This novel (published in 1982) shows its age - its premise is that the school is under seige from a suspicious, nerdy guy with newfangled ideas who introduces (gasp) a *computer* to the school offices. Meanwhile, the girls' boarding school across the street (yes, there's a girls' school across the street from the boys' school - it's even called a "Finishing School" and teaches sewing, baking, and dancing!) has a new ex-military teacher who is determined to introduce some discipline and obedience into the education of the "young ladies" who attend. Not surprisingly, the students manage to get back at these pesky people in clever and amusing ways. This isn't one of the best McDonald Hall books, but it was still a fun re-read.