Can You Spell Revolution?

January 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-The tyranny of grouchy teachers, a totalitarian principal, and the most boring school assemblies ever reign supreme at eighth-grader Chris Stren's school. That is until mysterious, fresh-faced Clouds McFadden strategically brings together four of the most unobvious members of the student body in a plot to overthrow the faculty's iron grip. Freedom, according to Clouds, is what's under siege, and he leads his team into mostly victorious pursuits using the political tactics of historical leaders like Elizabeth I, Gandhi, and Lenin. Beam's characterizations feel fully fleshed out, especially his freedom fighters. The plot, however, while full of interesting twists, plenty of he said/she said drama, and a touch of romance, often veers into history-lesson territory, exhaustively recounting facts in the lives of revolutionaries as Chris, Clouds, and their troupe research them. As the story drags on, readers will begin to realize that Chris and his friends' complaints aren't necessarily high enough stakes to warrant Clouds's final actions. While the twist at the end may be part of the plot, the results feel more like they're full of air instead of action."Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2008
Grades 5-8 Laverton Middle School is a miserable, boring, and soul-sapping place. Mrs. Toppers teaching methodsinvolve inevitable worksheets and impatient criticisms of her students; Principal Dorfman, aka the Penguin, is a walking litany of rules.But new student Clouds McFadden has a plan. Gathering a small group of eighth graders, he proposes a revolution, inspired bykey historical figures (Richard Nixon, Elizabeth I, Gandhi) andevents(the French Revolution), to wrest power from their principal. Student Chris Stren narrates as this elaborate plan unfolds and reachesits inevitable outcome. Beam has taken an unfortunately familiar school environmentteacher- and rule-centered rather than student-centeredand allowed his characters to experiment with changing that culture one project at a time.The result isa combination of loosely linked, tongue-in-cheek historical facts; middle-school humor; and early adolescent angst, allauthenticallyseen through the eyes of an eighth-grader.Not as terrifying as Lord of the Flies, this title exploressimilar themes for a younger audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2009
Chris is intrigued by Clouds, a new eighth grader bent on undermining school authorities. However, Chris's confidence in Clouds flags as the boy grows more secretive and power hungry. This portrayal of complicated friendships, fledgling romance, and the dream of classroom revolution has appeal, but the protagonists seem younger than their years and the story's ending is didactic.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)