Awards
Winner of the 2003 Young Reader's Choice Award, Intermediate Division
Synopses & Reviews
Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report of
Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end?
After refusing to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him go to the rehearsals as punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!
Review
"This book, told from multiple first-person points-of-view, gives readers a funny and thoughtful glimpse at the consequences of refusing to lie no matter what. Is honesty really the best policy? Read about the maze of problems the truth causes at Bedford Middle School and decide for yourself." Children's Literature
Review
"Humor abounds here, but underlying is the true angst of the middle school student. The characters are well developed, if a bit larger than life. The vocabulary is within the reach of most students. The antics of the young teens will keep the reader interested." VOYA
Review
"Witty fun and we can certainly use more humorous books for this age group, especially those with appeal to boys as well as girls." KLIATT
Synopsis
Best-selling author Gordon Korman's middle-grade favorite, now with a fresh look Wallace Wallace won't lie, even if it means detention. And after he handed in a scorching book report of the classic novel, Old Shep, My Pal, detention is just what he's been handed. He is sure he's done nothing wrong: he hated every minute of that book, especially when the dog dies in the end Why do dogs always die at the end?
Wallace refuses to do a rewrite of his report, so his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play of Old Shep, My Pal, forces him go to the rehearsals to teach him a lesson on why the story is the way it is. Surrounded by theater kids who are apprehensive of him, Wallace sets out to prove himself. But not by changing his mind. Instead, he changes the play into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped
" . . . one of the funniest books I have ever read " -- Book Report
"Korman's humorous novel will endear it to readers who wonder, Why does the dog always die?" -- The ReadingTeacher
About the Author
Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of novels, primarily for children and young adults. In the seventh grade, his language arts teacher was a track and field coach. At a loss on what to do, the teacher simply allowed them to work on whatever they wanted for the rest of the year. For Gordon, this resulted in This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall, the first book in his "Bruno and Boots" series, arguably his most famous. It was published a year and a half later by the Scholastic Press, when Gordon was 14 years old. He currently resides in New York City, with his wife and three children.