Double Trouble in Walla Walla
 Andrew Clements, Illustrator Salvatore Murdocca
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 1997 The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn.
  ISBN: 0761302751


It was an ordinary Monday morning in Walla Walla until Lulu raised her hand in class & said to her English teacher: “Mrs. Bell, I feel like a nit-wit. My homework is all higgledy-piggledy. Last night it was in tip-top shape, but now it's a mish-mash.”

& Mrs. Bell replied: “Nit-wit? Higgledy-piggledy? Mish-mash? Lulu, stop that flip-flop chitter-chatter or you'll be in double trouble!”

With those few words, the day took off into one super-duper, helter-skelter, word warp!

When Lulu can't stop he eeeky-freeky double talk, Mrs. Bell takes her to the Principal, who isn't much help with his okey-dokey & tut-tut.

& then they all go find the school nurse, who is just as infected as anyone else: “Fiddle-faddle,” says Mrs. Carter.
“Wowie-zowie!” exclaims Lulu.
“Jeepers-creepers!” mutters Mrs. Bell.
“Holy-moly!” bellows Mr. Thomas.

& so it goes, getting more & more tortured & tongue-twisting until everyone is yelling in double-time.

Double Trouble in Walla Walla will give you a workout when you read it out loud & that's allowed!

Luckily for the entire English-speaking world, the school nurse has an idea about how to handle this double-trouble hodge-podge of topsy-turvy chit-chat.

Will it work? Find out how it works as you zig-zag through the jibber-jabber & yakety-yak of this huge, funny fantasy!

Fun with words at their most absurd & I've been to Walla Walla - fantastic onions!

Salvatore Murdocca's great big pictures are full of life-like details & funny caricatures & enhance Andrew Clements' hilarious story.

More from Andrew Clements: Billy & the bad teacher; The Beast and the Boy; Frindle; Workshop; The Landry News with Salvatore Murdocca; Circus family dog; Jake Drake bully buster; Jake Drake know-it-all; Jake Drake teacher's pet; Where is Mr. Mole?.

Andrew Clements was the Editorial Director for Picture Book Studio until he said bye-bye to the hubbub & the humdrum to become a full time writer. He lives in Westborough, Massachusetts with his wife & four boys.

Sal Murdocca has been writing & illustrating children's books for most of his life. His most recent book from Millbrook was a jeepers-creepers, harum-scarum doodad called The Monsters' Test by Brian Heinz. Sal lives in New York City.
(08/19/01)

Rebecca