debchan's review
3.0
i think chris rylander would be the master of plot twists.
you would think that for a middle school book it wouldn't be that hard to guess the plot twists... nope. every turn of the page had be guessing for the real answers, the truth that sometimes mac even hides from the reader.
more humor with vince! more mystery! so good!
you would think that for a middle school book it wouldn't be that hard to guess the plot twists... nope. every turn of the page had be guessing for the real answers, the truth that sometimes mac even hides from the reader.
more humor with vince! more mystery! so good!
socr8sjohnson's review
4.0
The second installment in this series dipped a little in humor for me, but the story and characters are as strong as ever. I love the two main characters love of Cubs baseball, and their serious devotion to their business.
I'll be checking out Part III and Rylander's other work.
I'll be checking out Part III and Rylander's other work.
theartolater's review
4.0
I definitely enjoyed the first Fourth Stall book. It was a fun middle school spoof on the mafia book, and it was a refreshingly fun read. The second book, while not quite as solid as the first, hits all the right notes and then some. The book takes place a little after the events of the first book, and things are going well for Mac, but the administration is catching wind of what's going on, and there's someone who isn't quite who they seem.
This somewhat takes the focus off the mafia/conspiracy angle and runs as a more straightforward comedy. With that said, it's still pretty great and those who liked the first book should like the sequel. That it's a book tailor-made for boys doesn't hurt, either, given the dearth of good reads in that direction.
This somewhat takes the focus off the mafia/conspiracy angle and runs as a more straightforward comedy. With that said, it's still pretty great and those who liked the first book should like the sequel. That it's a book tailor-made for boys doesn't hurt, either, given the dearth of good reads in that direction.
kit_e's review
4.0
So first I have to say that this book, and the first book in the series, are two of the funniest books I've ever read. I found myself laughing out loud several times as I read Part II (and getting some very funny looks from the people around me).
This book picks up pretty much where the first book left off, with a girl walking into the fourth stall and sending Mac's world spinning. Who is she really? What exactly does she want? Why do middle school girls have to be so darn confusing!? I'm not going to answer any of those questions for you, you'll have to pick the book up in February to find out. I will tell you that Rylander does a brilliant job at keeping you guessing at who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. I was pretty sure I knew the score, but I was totally wrong!
What I really like about these books is that Rylander doesn't dumb down the kids or the experiences they have. He acknowledges that kids have these whole worlds that we adults may not be privy too. In this case we see Mac continuing picking up his business as usual as he helps other students fix their problems. The problems the kids have are all very realistic. The last story dealt primarily with bullies (review here) and this one deals with state tests and the pressure they put on kids and teachers alike. Everyone is coming to Mac for help with the test and then there is the additional problem of a new administrator who is cracking down of shenanigans and a new teachers who may be the coolest teacher/coach ever or he might be the devil himself. The methods Mac employs aren't always on the up and up, and I sometimes shake my head that these kids would get away with it at all, but the way Rylander writes it allows for the reader to just go along for the ride, enjoying all the twists and turns as they go. It was also great to revisit some of the characters from the first book, especially the school bullies, who are both the bad guys (because they are bullies), but also the good guys (because they work for Mac).
I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say, take the next few months to go pick up The Fourth Stall so that come February 7th you are all ready for Part II!
This book picks up pretty much where the first book left off, with a girl walking into the fourth stall and sending Mac's world spinning. Who is she really? What exactly does she want? Why do middle school girls have to be so darn confusing!? I'm not going to answer any of those questions for you, you'll have to pick the book up in February to find out. I will tell you that Rylander does a brilliant job at keeping you guessing at who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. I was pretty sure I knew the score, but I was totally wrong!
What I really like about these books is that Rylander doesn't dumb down the kids or the experiences they have. He acknowledges that kids have these whole worlds that we adults may not be privy too. In this case we see Mac continuing picking up his business as usual as he helps other students fix their problems. The problems the kids have are all very realistic. The last story dealt primarily with bullies (review here) and this one deals with state tests and the pressure they put on kids and teachers alike. Everyone is coming to Mac for help with the test and then there is the additional problem of a new administrator who is cracking down of shenanigans and a new teachers who may be the coolest teacher/coach ever or he might be the devil himself. The methods Mac employs aren't always on the up and up, and I sometimes shake my head that these kids would get away with it at all, but the way Rylander writes it allows for the reader to just go along for the ride, enjoying all the twists and turns as they go. It was also great to revisit some of the characters from the first book, especially the school bullies, who are both the bad guys (because they are bullies), but also the good guys (because they work for Mac).
I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say, take the next few months to go pick up The Fourth Stall so that come February 7th you are all ready for Part II!
mrskatiefitz's review
5.0
The only criticism I included in my review of the first Fourth Stall book was that I wondered why we didn’t get to see Mac, the main character, in his life as a student - attending classes, dealing with teachers, and fitting his business life in around his life as a real kid. To my great surprise and delight, The Fourth Stall Part II focuses on exactly those things. At the start of Part II, Mac is approached by a seventh grade girl who claims a teacher named Mr Kjelson keeps giving her detention for no good reason. She asks Mac and his assistants to investigate the teacher and get him to leave her alone. In the meantime, the school is having its own issues. Animal feces are turning up in kids’ lockers, the lunchroom is serving unhealthy fried food, and a new vice principal is forcing the entire school to take a standardized test called the SMART. Naturally, everyone turns to Mac for help, which is great for business at first, until the vice principal catches on to what’s happening in the fourth stall. Can Mac and his buddies save the school from ruin and also keep their business from going under?
Like the first book, The Fourth Stall Part II is filled with a lot of great boy-friendly humor. Vince’s quotes from his grandmother are as ridiculous as ever, and Mac has a lot of great lines about middle school culture that will resonate well with kids currently living in that culture. The Cubs references are still interesting, and will thrill baseball fans, and the supporting characters, such as the creepy bully named Kitten, and Mr. Kjelson, the possibly evil but seemingly friendly teacher / baseball coach add a lot to the story, fleshing it out beyond just a boy solving problems from a bathroom stall. Kids who know the stress of standardized testing will eagerly anticipate finding out how Mac will try to take on the SMART, and the concept of teachers trying to take down a school from the inside will appeal to middle school conspiracy theorists.
I really enjoyed this second book, even more than the first, and I’m pleased to see that the ending of Part II hints pretty strongly at yet another sequel. The setting of this book is an appealing world to visit, and Mac, even at his worst, is the kind of character for whom you just want to see things work out, even when he doesn’t always do the right thing. Kudos to Chris Rylander for continuing to work with his unique tween mafia concept - this series is definitely one-of-a-kind!
Like the first book, The Fourth Stall Part II is filled with a lot of great boy-friendly humor. Vince’s quotes from his grandmother are as ridiculous as ever, and Mac has a lot of great lines about middle school culture that will resonate well with kids currently living in that culture. The Cubs references are still interesting, and will thrill baseball fans, and the supporting characters, such as the creepy bully named Kitten, and Mr. Kjelson, the possibly evil but seemingly friendly teacher / baseball coach add a lot to the story, fleshing it out beyond just a boy solving problems from a bathroom stall. Kids who know the stress of standardized testing will eagerly anticipate finding out how Mac will try to take on the SMART, and the concept of teachers trying to take down a school from the inside will appeal to middle school conspiracy theorists.
I really enjoyed this second book, even more than the first, and I’m pleased to see that the ending of Part II hints pretty strongly at yet another sequel. The setting of this book is an appealing world to visit, and Mac, even at his worst, is the kind of character for whom you just want to see things work out, even when he doesn’t always do the right thing. Kudos to Chris Rylander for continuing to work with his unique tween mafia concept - this series is definitely one-of-a-kind!
More...