Book Review: Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee  is a book for middle grade readers. The "Tough Class" in school loves their teacher Miss Feesenschneezen, and no one else is up to the challenger. Principal Armstrong is occupied to a review by the state board and the normal substitute pool has no one to take on the job. A series of unusual substitutes teach the class a variety of interesting things over the week she is out.

 

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill is a fun and entertaining look at being part of a tough class. Everyone that has ever worked in a school knows that there is always a tough class or two. Not bad kids, but ones that are challenging to teach, and paired with the right instructors can go far. I know one of my kids is a tough kid to teach, and working in a school I see tough kids and classes everyday. The teachers that these kids identify with or trust are priceless, and Miss Feesenschneezen is one of those teachers. She falls ill the week the principal is under siege by a review board, and no one really wants to tackle the class. The series of substitutes and volunteers do their best to teach, and some succeeded marvelously but are exhausted by the experience, while others are not up for the task. The results are fun, and I learned some interesting things along with the class. I liked that while everyone seems to fear this class, they are not actually bad- they are not doing anything horrible or being rude. They are curious and have many questions, but will gladly side track class to do less work if possible. Sounds like normal kids to me. To be honest, I was rather expecting the mystery illness to be related to the review the school was under, rather than something real regardless of how simple, just to add another little twist. I am still not convinced that it was not. 

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill is a fun book that many middle graders, particularly those considered part of a tough class to teach, or struggling in school will enjoy. Adult readers that work in, or have worked in school will enjoy it as well.