Review by Booklist Review
Mr. Bambuckle is unlike any teacher that the class of room 12B has ever seen. He rides a unicycle to school, uses a self-heating frying pan to make breakfast during class, and he has a dangerous spark-maker beetle. More important, he's a fantastic teacher who connects with each student, although Principal Sternblast doesn't see it that way; he's looking for any excuse to throw Mr. Bambuckle out of school. This Australian import is reminiscent of other wacky school collections like Louis Sachar's Wayside School series and Dan Gutman's My Weird School series. Mr. Bambuckle is a mix of Mary Poppins and Mr. Lemoncello, and he always has something special up his sleeve. Through interconnected short stories, different characters share their tales, which are interspersed with energetic illustrations of characters as well as silly school assignments. Nothing is resolved here, and the ending leaves the door open for future adventures of Mr. Bambuckle and the kids of 12B. A light and funny book, perfect for young readers making their way into chapter books.--Sarah Bean Thompson Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Originally released in Australia, this neatly crafted schoolroom tale jump-starts the Mr. Bambuckle series with gusto, introducing an original and credible cast of young characters and an ingenious, perspicacious adult protagonist. Entering their classroom, the students in 12B find their new teacher, dapper Mr. Bambuckle, balancing on a unicycle on his desk while singing what he explains is "a rare Mongolian welcome song." The classmates relish the good-natured newcomer's adroit outwitting of the stodgy principal and creative reinvention of rules: he insists they yell out questions rather than raise their hands, retrieve their cellphones from "wherever you're hiding them" to create new apps, and "come up with a quite ridiculous use for a bicycle." Harris balances outlandish classroom antics with students' heartfelt first-person stories, which reveal their fears, frustrations, and triumphs-and their growing self-confidence, thanks to the all-knowing teacher. Hart's boisterous black-and-white cartoons help move the story to a mischievous ending that leaves readers hanging as the class bully-in a sly tweak of circumstance-is poised to emerge a hero in the cast's second outing, Class 12B Fights Back, due out simultaneously. Ages 8-12. Agent: Allison Hellegers, Rights People. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A male Mary Poppins of education, Mr. Bambuckle is every student's dream teacher.When their regular teacher, Miss Schlump, moves to Switzerland with a helicopter pilot, the students of room 12B are startled by their strange replacement teacher. Wearing a dazzling blue suit and balancing on his unicycle atop his desk, Mr. Bambuckle has a frypan full of breakfast and eccentric ideas about education. The students' first assignment is to redesign the trite encouragement stickers Miss Schlump liked to use. After timid Evie narrates her frightening encounter with a possibly possessed washing machine and Mr. Bambuckle confronts cranky Cafeteria Carol with kindness, the 15 students get to come up with ideas for phone apps. Various students take turns narrating humorous episodes, with third-person chapters knitting them together. It's all good, silly fun, but principal Mr. Sternblast wants to rid himself and the school of Bambuckle just when the kids are warming up to him. Originally published in Australia as Mr. Bambuckle's Remarkables, Harris' introductory tale of 12B is both funny and surprising. Published simultaneously with sequel Class 12B Fights Back (a good thing given the cliffhanger end), this will entertain young readers, who will easily find their traits among the students. Hart's black-and-white spot and full-page illustrations are appropriately goofy, combining with naming convention to identify a few students of color. Mr. Bambuckle and the principal present white.Should readily win fans. (Fiction. 7-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
