Radio Fifth Grade

Mayhem breaks out in the fifth grade when the Venice Menace bullies his classmates into letting him become a regular guest on "Kidsview," the school's radio program.

Publishers Weekly

Korman ( A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag ; Don't Care High )tackles the topic of student-run radio with characteristic lightheartedness. Benjy hopes for great things for ``his'' show, but circumstances conspire against it: a stubbornly silent parrot from their sole sponsor could mean the end of their funding, a new teacher assigns so much work that Benjy and his coproducers don't have time for the show, the school bully is muscling in on their airtime in order to read his truly bad creative writing, and their faculty adviser, addicted to SF novels with titles like Vampire Slave Monsters of the Planet Garafraxa , simply tells them to solve their problems by themselves. Like his earlier work, Korman's latest is feelingly written and earns a place with the best middle-grade fiction; more than a romp, it has genuine charm. Ages 9-12. (Aug.)

Gordon Korman is one of the most beloved contemporary authors of today with more than 40 middle-grade novels to his credit. He published his first book at the wee age of fourteen, which turned into the Bruno and Boots series- still in print! Also a tireless self-promoter, Gordon travels across the country and even travels abroad to promote his books. Originally from Toronto, Gordon and his wife, a teacher, now live on Long Island with their little boy.