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Norman Normann has not scored too highly on his first attempt at the entrance exam to a fancy high school. Norman's parents --- who happen to be named Orman and Norma Normann --- are appalled and frantic. Only one thing will do, and that is for them to get Norman a tutor who will help him to score better on next year's "Amalgamated Academic Independent City Schools Test." The well-meaning but rather dim-witted Normann parents can only find one tutor on short notice, a strange, beaky-nosed, sharp-eyed man by the name of Balthazar Birdsong, whom Norman's best friend, Leonard, promptly nicknames "Bald Beezer Bird Poop" behind his back.

Balthazar's views on teaching turn out to be eccentric and startling. During their first tutoring session, Balthazar tells Norman that he must explore the dictionary from A-Z, mastering one letter every two weeks. Oddly enough, whatever words Norman runs across in the dictionary seem to connect prophetically to the events in his life, such as trying to figure out if his money-obsessed father is involved in nefarious business dealings. Norman suspects him of selling bombers to mustachioed, fur-hatted men from the faraway land of Alfur, and it appears the dictionary entries may lead him to some answers.

Norman and his friends Leonard, and the twins Anna and Emma, all slowly fall under Balthazar's spell. The old tutor declares his intention to get the children to take their heads and noses out of their textbooks and back into the clouds, where they belong. Indeed, one of the activities he prescribes for Norman is for the boy to simply observe the sky each day, drawing no conclusions at all. Balthazar does little in the way of formal teaching, simply urging the kids to observe and to explore. He even encourages them to take a trip into the city by themselves to visit him in his apartment where he lives with his pets Watson and Crick, who happen to be a rat and a crow, respectively.

Balthazar's unorthodox teaching style is not without its risks, however, as Leonard learns when he falls out of a great tree that the tutor urges the children to climb. However, under Balthazar's tutelage, they find themselves slowly maturing and expanding their worldview. These lessons come in handy when Norman's father's shady business dealings get him into big trouble, and it is up to the children to put their year of lessons to good use and journey to Singapore to rescue Mr. Normann from the clutches of the evil Alfurnians.

Balthazar's teaching style appears to be lackadaisical and rather odd (bringing to mind the Karate Kid movies), but has the effect of helping the children to grow up. The novel gently pokes fun at today's frenzied parenting, when a more relaxed and even whimsical approach might yield better results in the long term. Those parents who remember their own childhoods as less orchestrated affairs as compared to the lives of modern young people will identify with the main themes here.

SERIOUSLY, NORMAN! is a fast-paced and high-spirited slice of utter and enjoyable silliness. The dialogue is zippy and punchy, and the interactions among Norman, Leonard, Anna, Emma and their tutor are engaging. While this may not be a book that will appeal to every kid, for those who like a play on words and a quirky, inventive style, it's going to provide some very good laughs. Bold drawings strewn through the pages often illustrate scenes from Norman's life or the dictionary entries that he encounters, and add visual interest and humorous touches to the novel.

Chris Raschka, a past winner of the Caldecott Medal for THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW and for YO! YES? has a winner in SERIOUSLY, NORMAN! --- his first foray into the novel format.

Reviewed by Usha Rao

This book, perfect for boys ages 9-99, is simply amazing. Hysterically funny. A young boy's journey to the world of an open mind. At one point the protagonists translate "chicken butt" (as in, Q: What? A: chicken butt!) into German - sort of. "Hooner Po!" My son and his best friend now cry as they kids their bikes. Did you or your kid love E. B. White? Madeline L'Engle? The Phantom Tollbooth? Hugo? E. Nesbit? Judy Blume? What can i do to convince you that your son will love this book and will hysterically laugh, while becoming a better person for having read it? Tell you that the term "shitten kitten mitten" is used appropriately? Anyone who doesn't love this book is dead inside and has no soul.

This book reminds me of The Wednesday Wars The Wednesday Wars, because NOT EVERY KID WILL LIKE IT. But the kids that do like it, will LOVE it.

I'm a mom with a family of boys. I think ... maybe 1 will like this book and read it to the end. And that's ok -- he will get the humor, remember the vocabulary, follow the plot, and love the book.

More brainy books like this, please!