The Past Is Prologue: Malcolm Under the Stars by W. H. Beck
When Malcolm, Mr. Binney's classroom pet rat, learns that his special nutter friend Amanda is moving away, he thinks that is the worst thing that could happen. But that night there is an emergency meeting of the Midnight Society, and his world seems to crumble beneath him.
Honey Bunny's whiskers twitched at Malcolm. Tank the turtle finished in a rush. "They're saying the electrical system may not be up to code. They'll have to rewire the whole school, which will make the boiler room incident look like loose change. The whole thing--well, it was proposed tonight that maybe McKenna's time has come."
It was Malcolm who stepped forward. "Time for what? Repairs?"
Tank pulled his head inside his shell. "It's official now. The school board has scheduled two "listening sessions, where lankies can say what they think. And then they'll vote." Polly the parakeet and Tank exchanged looks. "They're talking about closing the school."
For longer than the memories of any of the classroom pets whose secret Midnight Academy has looked out for the welfare of their school--the lankies (teachers) and the nutters (students)--McKenna Elementary has been their home. Sure, fifth graders graduated, but there were always new nutters who needed them. But now, with major structural problems everywhere, it looked like the city was determined to terminate McKenna Elementary and disperse their own nutters and lankies to two other schools.
But Malcolm and others of the Midnight Academy rally to save the school. They uncover the history behind McKenna, once Clearwater's only high school, and get the nutters to present a program with a plea to preserve the historic school, to rally graduates of the high school and former students to keep it alive. And in the course of their investigations of old high school annuals on a bottom shelf in the library, they uncover a legend, the mysterious philanthropist who funded their now crumbling auditorium and gym, and a series of coded hobo ciphers which hint of a time capsule from 1938 and a "Loaded Stash" that might just cover the cost of the old building's repairs and more. But none of the "Inside critters" currently serving as class pets have memories that go back to that time to help find that stash in time to save their school.
Unless.... Malcolm remembers how he saved Beert the barn owl, trapped in the clock tower, and how Beert had introduced him to some of the "Outside critters" who had helped him save the school from the evil cat Snip's plan to poison the nutters' water supply. Desperate, Malcolm screws up his courage to ask the legendary Striped Shadow across the river in his abandoned factory redoubt for help.
And then...the Shadow tells him that there is one critter living there, one whose memory from kittenhood goes back far enough to link them to the secret of the Stash.
Malcolm can't believe it, but that critter is Snip, the feral cat who haunted McKenna School, the villain he though he had vanquished in the boiler episode, the only one who may know how to find the hidden secret that can save their school and keep the Midnight Academy critters together with their nutters and lankies.
As William Faulkner famously said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." And Malcolm's midnight quest under the stars indeed reveals that the past is still alive, a past that provides a way to a totally surprising ending that promises a future for McKenna Elementary School, in W. H. Beck's eagerly awaited Malcolm Under the Stars
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015). Malcolm, a mere runty ratling who gains entry to Mr. Binney's classroom by pretending mousehood, is the intrepid crusader who leads the way to save his fellow critters' mission to befriend and mentor future nutters on their way to growing up. A engrossing history mystery, with colorful and courageous critter characters and a cast of varied and resourceful kids and teachers who come together to save their community makes for a page-turning adventure that has a lot to say about the courage, perseverance, and initiative it takes to maintain any community. For a perfect classroom read-aloud, pair this one with its noted prequel, Malcolm at Midnight
(see my 2012 review here.)Labels: Animal Stories, Ciphers--Fiction Mystery Stories, Pet Stories, School Stories, Secret Societies--Fiction (Grades 3-6)
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(Candlewick Press, 2014). This furry, fluffy raptor's behavior bears a close resemblance to that more common household predator pet, the cat, and ever since Syd Hoff's 
strolled through town, kids have dreamed of a dinosaur pet, and author O'Connor obliges with a clearly fanciful dino and a young pet owner who is just as doting and delightful as can be. Artist O'Connor provides plenty of visual humor in the illustrations, while his pom-pom ponytailed pet owner shows just how it's done. Publishers Weekly gives this one a starred review, with words of high praise, saying it "strikes an ideal balance between visual sophistication and warmth."
(Balzer And Bray, 2014). Otter is an adorably well-meaning but mischievous character in the venerable tradition of H.A. Rey's 
and his young and earnest Otter Keeper is the worthy successor to the Man in the Yellow Hat. Garton's dead-pan narrative is clever, his page design is perfect, and his wry portrayal of his energetic but naive pet has so many amusing details that it will take kids a while to get through this story as they stop to laugh along the way. Kirkus Reviews simply says, "Hysterical!" 
(Roaring Brook, 2012) is clever and eye-catching, executed as it is in black-line drawings with just the right amount of red and green to set off Blake and his remarks. Sieger even embeds a bit of humor for grownups, and English majors will enjoy his clever interjection of the English poet (William Blake) who shares this reptile's name.
for a snake-centered storytime.
as a board book for the youngest readers in his just published 
(Roaring Brook, 2011), which retains the sly humor and skillful characterizations established in the title for slightly older readers in this delightful spin-off.
(Little, Brown, 2010) is a fun and funny lesson in cat selection. Dodd's delicious illustrations, done up in clever double-page spreads with dramatic changes in perspective and perfect caricatures of the kitty types she describes, are spot-on in generating laughs, even without the text. But the rhythmic couplets, doubly appealing with their internal rhymes presented one line per page, are a joy to read, silently or aloud.
for a pet-perfect pair.
(Little, Brown, 2010) flips the found pet scenario to give children a different view of the whole "Can I Keep Him" theme, pointing out that sometimes some potential "pets" are happier in their own habitats. Brown's illustrations are simple but creatively stylized, with his brief text enlightened by thought and speech balloons adding to the unique design. Squeaker is limited to his basic "Squeak!" but Lucy's remarks succinctly show her thoughts as she thinks through her initial decision to bring home a "wild" pet. Kids will chuckle over the switch in roles but definitely get the message.
(Tiger Tales, 2010) is a neat imaginative take on the may-I-have-a-pet story. Written with a childlike simplicity and illustrated agreeably by Deborah Allbright, this book will intrigue kids with her improbable pinch-hit pets and empathize with this girl who proves she's worthy of the privilege, and it looks like Timmy is going to be one lucky little black-and-white kitty.
