NAKED BUNYIP DANCING

Under the guidance of their teacher, the students of Class 6C experience Bob Dylan, yoga and belly dancing—but not, alas, naked bunyip dancing—over the course of one daffy year. Mr. Carey can handle anything, from Billy the punk and J-man the rapper to Emily the dancer and Sophie the poet, and he knows how to channel their diverse interests and talents into one blockbuster variety concert. Giving the students voice in a series of free-verse poems, Herrick presents readers with a happily chaotic classroom peopled by genuine individuals. Readers will get to know some kids better than others, however, resulting in an uneven understanding of the characters. Alex, for instance, comes to life as a kid whose wounds from his parents’ separation are still raw, but Ahmet is cast as only a soccer nut. The class as a whole is the real protagonist here, though, united by love for their ponytailed teacher and a genuinely fond respect for one another. In this regard, it’s just as staged as the kids’ concert, but with just as pleasing a result. (Fiction/poetry. 10-14)