When It's the Last Day of School by Meritbeth Boelts, Hanako Wakiyama (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

James can barely contain his excitement on the last day of school, but he vows to be good and get Mrs. Bremwood's last gold sticker of the year. He's determined not to talk during Silent Reading and he will get his drink at the water fountain properly and not spit out any of it because it's warm. At lunch, he'll take the wrapper off his straw and not blow it at his friend Tony, and he won't show Tiffany how he can burp and talk at the same time. It'll be a perfect day and at the end, after giving Mrs. Bremwood the biggest hug ever, he'll EXPLODE!

When it comes to excited kids, not many days can compete with the last day of school. And this is the perfect book to cap off every school year—for kids and teachers.

Carlee Hallman - Children's Literature

James intends to earn Mrs. Bremwood's last gold star on the last day of school. He thinks of all the things that he must not do on that last day, such as talking during silent reading time, cutting in line to sharpen his pencil, and spitting out water at the drinking fountain. He expects to surprise the teacher with how much work he can do. He will only go to the bathroom once in the morning and once in the afternoon. And, he'll only wave to the janitor instead of stopping for a chat. He will pay attention and not dream of vacation. He will clean his desk with only three squirts of spray as instructed by the teacher. He will give Mrs. Bremwood a hug that lifts her off the floor and then. . . . The bright pictures convey the humor. This book will be fun the last day of school, not before. 2004, GP Putnam's Sons/Penguin Young Readers Group, Ages 5 to 8.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-James is determined to be on his best behavior on the last day of school. Filled with exuberance, he bounces from page to page, offering a litany of things that he will do differently: "I'll get my drink at the drinking fountain 1, 2, 3 and not spit the water back out because it's warm." He hopes to impress Mrs. Bremwood and receive "the last gold star sticker for the year." At lunch, he'll "thank the lady who always smiles at me, and even the one with the grumpy face, and I'll tell them that it's a good lunch, even if it's not." After receiving a hug from his teacher, James literally explodes off the final page, ready for a long, hot summer of frolicking with his friends. The boy and his classmates are depicted in orange, sepia-based tones that give the book a feeling of times past, though the action in the bold oil paintings keeps the story rooted in the present. Use this title to supplement Mark Teague's How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Knopf, 1997).-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A little jet fuel to prepare young readers for the last day of school. Here's a welcome relief from all those titles aimed at soothing the tremors that accompany the first day of school; now it's the last day of school and the aim is to keep the lid on until the last bell and atone for all the mischief of the preceding ten months. James, the class cutup, runs down the list of things he will and will not do on the last day of school. No multiple trips to the bathroom, no dawdling at the janitor's office on the way back, no grimacing at the lunch offerings, or showing "Tiffany Primrose how I can burp and talk at the same time." He will, however, do his work on time, buff his desk until it glows, and "give Mrs. Bremwood my strongest hug ever." Wakiyama's demonstrative, electric artwork conveys all of James high-octane promises in a story that radiates the lighter side-or anyway more rascally side-of schooling. (Picture book. 4-6)

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