No More Nasty (Aunt Mattie) - Hardcover

Amy MacDonald's books include Rachel Fister's Blister, which appeared on Fanfare, The Horn Book's Honor List, and No More Nice, a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner. She lives in Falmouth, Maine.

Cat Bowman Smith has illustrated many books, including No More Nice. She lives in Pittsford, New York.

Gr 4-6-In this sequel to No More Nice (Orchard, 1996), Simon is used to the kids in the classroom making fun of their mean teacher. However, when she quits and is replaced by his Great-Aunt Matilda, he is left with a dilemma. To the fifth grader, she is both his beloved aunt and an extremely embarrassing figure. He is not ready to acknowledge their relationship even though this leads his classmates to believe that he is a teacher's pet. To them, Mrs. Maxwell deserves the same tricks that they have pulled on all the subs, even though she seems to see through their antics. To the staff, she is an irritant who doesn't show respect for their authority and rules. By the time that she is through with the class, the students will never be the same. Mrs. Maxwell is a colorful figure reminiscent of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle with a better vocabulary and less respect for standard school practices. Simon's reticence to claim his outlandish relative is understandable and makes his efforts to apologize to her for his slight more sincere. The delightful black-and-white illustrations highlight moments of the humorous plot, which readers will enjoy as a read-aloud or read-alone.

Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada

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