School!

McMullan builds an entire comedic ecosystem out of wordplay and absurdist school logic, and it works — the Bank Street recognition is well-earned and the pun-layering rewards re-reading. Reluctant readers who bounce off serious chapter books often land well here. The plot is thin by design, which is a real tradeoff, but for the right kid this is exactly the kind of book that turns a non-reader into a reader.