MOUTH MOTHS

There’s something strange happening with the third grade at W.T. Melon Elementary School. Rumor has it that the school’s founder is still alive, lives just above the classroom and makes things . . . different. By all accounts, this seems to be true. Paul, who speaks out of turn, comes down with mouth moths—invisible creatures that fly from his mouth unless he raises his hand to speak. Kimberly, who cuts in line, mysteriously finds herself always last. Zachary learns that the reason he can’t stay seated is actually because his chair is in need of taming. Hannah has trouble keeping her hands to herself until she finds that everyone she touches freezes. Loren comes to understand the value of tests when she becomes a test tester (with help from the class pet). And Matthew realizes the value of subtraction when his substitute, Subdude, makes it disappear entirely. Full of wordplay and accompanied by comical drawings, each stand-alone story in this collection contains a lesson about behavior that is never pedantic and always replete with warmth and humor. (Fiction. 7-10)