About This Book
When your child is feeling burnt out by school routines or anxious about upcoming standardized tests, reach for this book to remind them that learning can be joyfully chaotic. It follows a class of third graders as they meet a quirky college professor who believes history is best taught through bizarre facts rather than dry dates. Using a home-made time machine, the class explores the past and future in a high-energy adventure that prioritizes curiosity over memorization. This is a fantastic choice for reluctant readers or kids who respond well to slapstick humor. While the plot is absurdist, it addresses the very real pressure children feel about school performance, offering a humorous escape that validates their perspective. It is age-appropriate for the 6 to 10 range, particularly those transitioning into longer chapter books who still enjoy frequent, goofy illustrations.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
Potential for mild distress regarding historical hygiene and public health; the "weird" history focuses on the lack of sanitation in previous eras, which includes descriptions of filth and the "gross" realities of how people lived before modern medicine and plumbing.
Ideal Reader
A second or third grader who finds school boring or feels pressured by tests. It is also perfect for the 'reluctant reader' who needs short chapters and plenty of jokes to stay engaged.
Parent Prep
This book can be read cold. Parents may want to be ready for questions regarding the evolution of public health and hygiene, as the book's focus on the history of sanitation might spark curiosity about how society transitioned from the "gross" past to modern standards. A child complaining that school is 'boring' or expressing anxiety about an upcoming exam.
Age Experience
Younger readers (6-7) will likely take the time machine plot at face value and enjoy the slapstick elements. Older readers (9-10) will appreciate the satirical take on standardized testing and the subversion of teacher archetypes.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many educational time-travel books that aim to teach 'real' history, this book celebrates the 'ridiculous,' 'gross,' and bathroom-humor aspects of the past, making the subject matter approachable through humor rather than academic facts.
Read plot summary
A.J. and his third-grade classmates at Ella Mentry School are preparing for standardized history tests. Enter Dr. Nicholas, a college professor who rejects traditional teaching methods. Instead of dates and famous documents, she focuses on the 'weird' side of history, specifically the evolution of hygiene and toilet bowls. She introduces a time machine she built in her garage, leading to a chaotic field trip across time where students witness history firsthand—including the "gross" and often unhygienic realities of the past—and face the risk of being stuck in the past.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
A.J. thinks school is 'weird.' If you could change one thing about your school to make it more fun, what would it be?
2
Dr. Nicholas likes to teach about things like the history of the toilet. Why do you think she chooses 'weird' facts instead of regular dates and names?
3
If you had a time machine like the one in the book, would you rather go to the past or the future? Why?
4
A.J. and his friends have to take a big test. How do you feel when you have to take a test, and what helps you feel better?
5
Dr. Nicholas is a very different kind of teacher. Do you think a teacher should be serious or funny? Can they be both?
