The fabled fourth graders of Aesop Elementary, whom no teacher wanted to teach, found their perfect mentor in Mr. Henry Valentine Jupiter. They’re back as fifth graders, and Mr. Jupiter gets to teach them again—much to the relief of all who have taught them before. Here’s their fifth-grade year in 16 “fables” of various lengths, each with a moral right out of Aesop. With the help of Librarian Paige Turner they start a TV station; news stories based on rumors lead them to the moral “Don’t believe everything you hear.” They complain about Mr. Jupiter but find after a half day with super-perky substitute Sunny Day that “Things are never as bad as they seem.” They solve a mystery, write their own fables and finally graduate with Aristophanes Middle School in their sights. Fleming brings back the entire cast of goofily named characters for more of the same: sometimes silly stories with Aesopian morals, and that’s just fine. Fans of the first will find more to love, and newcomers can enjoy this and then head back to fourth grade. (Fiction. 7-11)
