Janitors (Book #1)

Janitors (Book #1) by Tyler Whitesides

(Summary taken from amazon.com) "The magical, secretive society of JANITORS will sweep the country in the fall of 2011. Have you ever fallen asleep during math class? Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher? Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography? Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelve year- old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world? Janitors is book 1 in a new children s fantasy series by debut novelist Tyler Whitesides. You ll never look at a mop the same way again."

My boys (ages 11 and 10) read this book awhile ago and have been telling me and telling me and telling me that I need to read it. They loved it. It made it even better that Tyler Whitesides actually came to their school and signed their book. I had so many other books to read that I hadn't gotten around to it...until now. If you've read my blog before, you have probably heard me say that I taught first grade before I had children. When I go back to teaching, I will not see the school in the same light. Ever. Do you trust the janitors? Or are they the bad guys? This book is a fun and fast read. It is filled with betrayal, action, crazy dust creatures, friendship, big messes, and lots of cleaning supplies. And these are no ordinary cleaning supplies! Mr. Whitesides has created a fun world filled with magic and secrets. The characters were well developed and realistic. I could picture the principal perfectly. I loved the descriptions of him. Spencer and Daisy seemed like cute, normal kids. I thought they were childish enough that it felt realistic, yet brave enough to make it exciting. I loved Spencer's mom. She's awesome, and I could definitely see myself acting that way in order to protect one of my children. The janitors were a little crazy, but great characters. I really enjoyed learning about how the creatures affected the students. Hahaha!!! Now we know why we tend to fall asleep in class, or why we sometimes get distracted while we walk down the hallways. Did I mention the cleaning supplies? I want some of them. Yep, I think I want a broom. That would be great. The story line was a little predictable, but it didn't stop me from reading. I liked this book a lot and I know the kids like it! And, the best part? It's clean! Love it! Now......I just need to dig through my kids' rooms to find book #2!

Rating: PG+ (One of the main characters does die. It's sad but not detailed or gruesome. They do fight the bad guys and the bad creatures.)

Recommendation: 3rd grade and up