The Fourth Stall Part II

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High school "independent contractor" Mac has already taken the local crime boss, but there is no clear sailing in this new Fourth Stall follow-up. His latest client is the mysterious, ill-tempered Trixie Von Parkway, who claims that she is being victimized by an evil science teacher. Mac's recess research yields some troubling complications, including the possibility of physical and financial pain. An energetic classroom crime romp.

— Brian Monahan

ALA Booklist

Mac narrates the tale with the arch flatness of a 1940s satire of the noir detective genre…Excellent.

Jon Scieszka

Here is an original-a story that really gets how guys are pals. It’s also funny, mysterious, and true to the heart of what really matters when you are in middle school. Do yourself a favor. Read it. Now.

Children's Literature - Cynthia Levinson

Christian "Mac" Barrett and his sidekick-friend-partner, Vince, are quite the entrepreneurs at Thomas Edison Middle School. For a fee, Mac, a sixth-grader, will solve students' problems, such as running off a bully, forging hall passes, and even, dubiously, supplying answers to tests. When prickly eighth-grader Trixie Von Parkway walks into his office, which is located in the fourth stall of the East Wing boys' bathroom, he becomes not only suspicious but also intimidated. Claiming that her science teacher, Mr. Kjelson, who is also the new basketball coach, wants her expelled, she wants Mac's help in getting him off her back. Meanwhile, the sleuths uncover other oddities, such as the theft of Mr. Kjelson's lab animals and gross cafeteria lunches. Then, the vice principal, Mr. George, starts hounding Mac. The reason, he ultimately realizes, relates to SMART, the state's standardized test, which Mr. George "fixed" so that all the students would fail, after which he would "improve" the school to enhance his career. When central administration announces that the school will be closed, however, Mac confesses that he altered students' test answers. In the end, his confession leads to the vice principal's undoing. The book's humor and intrigue will appeal to young readers, who will also enjoy the role played by dreaded state tests. Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson

VOYA - Devin Burritt

Christian "Mac" Barrett is back in this sequel to The Fourth Stall (HarperCollins, 2011/VOYA February 2011). Just a few months after nailing the villain, Staples, some strange things start happening at the school: a beautiful girl complains of harassment by a particularly beloved teacher, rodent feces appears in lockers, a new disgustingly unhealthy (but tasty!) lunch menu is introduced, and there is dancing for gym. Mac loves all the extra business but begins to worry when a new hard-lined disciplinarian is brought in to fix the school's problems and administer the SMART state standardized test. As the new vice principal begins to crack down on Mac's business, Mac starts to unravel the thread that ties all these mysteries together and discovers the SMART standardized test at its core. The Fourth Stall, Part II tackles a social issue that is hot in the in the education world—standardized testing and the ridiculous pressure it puts on the students and staff. The satire will be particularly interesting to educators and parents sharing this book with their younger teen, but it will probably not resound as strongly with the intended readers. There is, however, plenty of comedy, plot twists, and adventure to keep adolescents engaged. Initially, the pace is slow, but Rylander uses the slow build to set the noir feel of the novel, creating an antihero protagonist who is hard not to like and respect. Fans of the first Fourth Stall will not be disappointed with this second novel. Reviewer: Devin Burritt

Kirkus Reviews

Someone's out to destroy Mac's middle school, and Mac must find a way to stop him. Christian Barrett, called "Mac" after the television secret agent MacGyver, is a problem-solver, operating out of the fourth stall in the East Wing boys' bathroom in his middle school. For a price, he helps fellow students with their problems: taking care of a bully, forging hall passes, selling test answers, providing completed homework and selling prewritten research papers. And now an eighth-grade girl comes walking into Mac's "office" and wants Mac to take care of a mean teacher trying to get her expelled. But there's "something almost predatory" about this girl, like a rattlesnake, and Mac feels "like a small white mouse or whatever it is that rattlesnakes eat." Her story doesn't quite add up, and in trying to solve her problem, Mac both uncovers larger evil afoot and finds Vice Principal George breathing down his neck. This second installment does better than its predecessor at building and sustaining intrigue, as Mac and his right-hand man Vince must put a stop to Dr. George's evil machinations, even if it means putting himself and his business in jeopardy. Readers will be flushed with excitement to follow Mac's operations from the fourth stall. (Fiction. 9-13)