Stuart Goes to School

by Sara Pennypacker, Martin Matje (Illustrator)

Overview

"This hilarious sequel to Stuart's Cape is a witty chapter book about an eight-year-old worrier's first day of school. Our favorite worrier is back, and Stuart is about to start third grade. As he makes his way to the first day of school, wearing the worst outfit ever, what could a first-rate worrier do but worry? Stuart worries about getting stuck in the boys' bathroom and about not having anything to show for show-and-tell, but most of all, about not making any friends. With his cape, though, Stuart is bound to have a day full of wacky adventures."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545311830
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/26/2015
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Sara Pennypacker is a bestselling author whose title include the Clementine series: CLEMENTINE, THE TALENTED CLEMENTINE, and CLEMENTINE's LETTER, the Stuart series: STUART'S CAPE and STUART GOES TO SCHOOL, and the picture books PIERRE IN LOVE, and SPARROW GIRL. Sara lives on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts.

Martin Matje illustrated many books for children including HARRY AND LULU, WALLACE HOSKINS, THE BOY WHO GREW DOWN, and CELESTE: A DAY IN THE PARK, THE INK DRINKER, and DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS.

Editorial Reviews

"The worrywart hero of Stuart's Cape faces his first day of classes in a new town. Luckily, his magic cape will help him out again in this wryly funny mix of the real and the magical, enhanced by the late Matje's quirky line art," PW said. Ages 4-8. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Stuart is very worried about his first day of third grade in a new school. From his first waking moment when he finds a pair of green plaid pants and the shirt with cowboys on it hanging by his bed, he just knows he will never make friends. He worries that he will be the shortest kid in class or that he might throw up if someone eats an egg salad sandwich in his vicinity. The only thing that might save Stuart is his magical cape, which he made out of one hundred old ties. At show and tell time, Stuart displays his magic cape. When he whisks it off for the class to see, however, he is wearing only his underwear. Instead of making new friends, Stuart just embarrasses himself. On the second day he tries to bring something interesting to school but his woes only get more out of hand. By the third day Stuart thinks his situation is hopeless. But, when the teacher asks everyone to draw a picture for the number twelve, Stuart knows he can do it. He draws his twelve classmates and even draws his teacher, saving her from peril. On the way home, this time he realizes he has been freed of his worries. What's more, he's made two new friends. The three chapters are liberally interspersed with comical, but poignant black-and-white, pen-and-ink drawings, which depict perfectly the anxieties of starting in a new school. 2003, Orchard Books/Scholastic Inc, Ages 7 to 9.
— Valerie O. Patterson

Children's Literature

Gr 2-4-A sequel to Stuart's Cape (Orchard, 2002), this humorous fantasy perfectly captures the child's-eye view of elementary-school life. Stuart, who is "excellent at worrying," finds plenty to agonize over as he starts third grade at a new school. What if he gets stuck in the bathroom or throws up? Why does he have to wear his father's ugly cowboy shirt and green plaid pants? His only consolation is his magical cape. When he wears it, unexpected adventures happen. To impress his classmates, the boy decides to try controlling the cape's arcane powers. He wishes for the hideous hand-me-down outfit to disappear but suddenly finds himself standing in his underwear. Stuart is convinced that he will be the laughingstock of the third grade forever. The expressive cartoon drawings often become part of the text design. Young readers are sure to identify with Stuart's persistent quest to find his place in the classroom society.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Worrywart Stuart is back and he has something to worry about in this excellent sequel to Stuart's Cape (2002). It's his first day of school and there is no end to his worries: Will the kids make fun of his clothes? What if he's the shortest kid? What if he gets stuck in the bathroom? And, the worst, where did his mother find the "plaid hurt-your-eyes pants and cowboy shirt"? Luckily for our hero, he still has his magic handmade cape, made of stapled neckties. Though he still can't quite control the magic, it does provide him with plenty of adventures. Stuart's cape has a mind of its own and readers will gasp with sympathetic embarrassment when Stuart's pants and shirt disappear, he's surprised to find himself in the teachers' room, and his pencil manages to create reality in its own hilarious way. Never does Pennypacker underestimate her readers and Matje's naïve cartoon illustrations capture Stuart's youthful angst to a tee. Precocious readers looking for clever and unusual situations will not be disappointed. Hilarious and clever. (Fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews