Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive The School Bus

by John Grandits

        It was the first day of school, and Kyle’s first time to ever ride a school bus. Last year, his brother James rode the bus, but Kyle’s mom walked him to school. This year, James gets to walk, while Kyle rides the bus. Will he be able to remember the ten rules James told him to never forget if he wants to survive on the school bus? If he doesn’t follow all of them, James said he might get pounded! Kyle is nervous, and it doesn’t help that there’s a scary dog on the corner right where the bus stops. On the way to school, Kyle has already broken several of the rules, met the school bus bully, and had to sit by a girl. Will he make it home without getting pounded? When he does get home, Kyle has a new rule tell his brother: never pay attention to your brother’s list of rules!

          What a funny book! Anyone who has ever ridden a school bus will be able to relate to Kyle’s fears. John Grandits did an excellent job capturing the worries of the new kid on the bus in a humorous way. Michael Allen Austin captures the mood and energy of the story with full-page  acrylic  illustrations which add depth, meaning, and lots of laughs to the story. Austin has skillfully captured Kyle's vivid imagination in in the lifelike paintings. For example when the text says that Kyle feels like “a zebra at a lion party," the illustrations show Kyle as a zebra in boy’s clothes and lion’s tails and feet hanging off of the bus seats. John Grandits is an award-winning book and magazine designer.

Book jacket source: barnesandnoble.com

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