Classroom at the End of the Hall

Peculiar happenings are the norm in the classroom that serves as the setting for this droll collection. Occasionally reminiscent of Louis Sachar's Wayside School stories, these cleverly crafted episodes likewise make the impossible highly entertaining--and at times strangely plausible. Nimbly shifting perspectives, the narrator focuses on various students' encounters with such creatures as a genie who appears from a cloud of chalk dust and grants the ill-conceived wish of the class ""Pain-in-the-Neck"" to become the teacher; a hairy pest that takes over a girl's hopelessly messy desk; a witch who upstages the class braggart during a Halloween party; and a bug that whispers answers in a girl's ear, breaking her of the habit of copying off her classmates' papers. Lacing his stories with waggish wordplay and humorous asides, first-time author Evans conveys worthy messages with a lighthearted subtlety. A refreshing debut, and a good choice for a middle-grade classroom read-aloud. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)