Gr 2-4 Third-grader Herbie Jones is one of only two boys in his class who is in the lowest reading group. As he attempts to get out of the Apples,'' he becomes involved in some typical elementary school hijinks, including some gross humor which children delight in. Raymond barfs at a birthday party, after which the other children refuse to eat the cake because of its yellow icing. In another episode, the girls are afraid to use thehaunted'' school bathrooms. Readers never learn who is responsible for the vandalism on the walls, but Herbie does manage to rescue one of his terrified classmates from the girls' room. Totally unnecessary are the all-caps words used for emphasis. Illustrations are shaded pencil drawings that have an old-fashioned quality about them. Herbie is a younger Aldo Applesauce (Morrow), and the reading level is also a shade easier than in the Johanna Hurwitz titles. Very light humor for the in-between grades. Rita S. Padden, Wenatchee Public Lib . , Wash.