Bernie Bridges, the hero of Rotten School, is sneaky and manipulative; his only redeeming quality is that he's not spoiled like his archenemy, Sherman Oaks. Stine doesn't bother to make Bernie likable, just clever. Stine knows plot, and he takes every chance to deliver easy, bad jokes that will make readers laugh. Black-and-white pictures illustrate each chapter. Stickers are appended.

Gr 3-5-This second installment in the series will suit those who find merriment in bodily functions run amok. A promising preface presents befuddled Headmaster Upchuck's morning announcements, which cover the Armpit Band tryouts, a tattoo exhibition, and an explanation of a poster misprint regarding the school's spelling bee. However, the quirky charm disappears with the know-it-all narration of Bernie Bridges. The story relies on the basest of humor via Gassy, a dog with gastrointestinal problems and an affinity for Mrs. Heinie's leg, and Lippy the parrot, who squawks "BEAK me! Eat birdseed and DIE!" The fourth-grade boys at this boarding school pull mean tricks, tattle, and easily dupe both faculty and fellow students. Park's cartoon drawings in each chapter, as well as a pull-out sticker sheet, lend a MAD Magazine element that will please the intended audience who may be satisfied by this minnow of a plot awash with repetitive gross humor.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.