Product Description

Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report of Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie-he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end? After refusing to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him go to the rehearsals as punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98306 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. Here's one for every reader weary of being assigned novels in which the dog dies. For expressing his true views of Old Shep, My Pal, eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace earns a detention that takes him off the team and plunks him down in the auditorium, where his almost equally stubborn English teacher is directing a theatrical version of--you guessed it. To the delight of some cast members, but the loud outrage of Drama Club President, Rachel Turner, Wallace Wallace makes a few suggestions to punch up the production; by the end, it's a rock musical and the (stuffed) pooch actually pulls through. At least, that's the plan. Briskly stirring in complications and snappy dialog, Korman adds mystery to the fun with an unknown saboteur, caps the wildly popular play with an explosive (literally) climax, and finishes with Rachel and Wallace Wallace finally realizing that they were made for each other. Except for Old Shep, everyone, even the teacher, comes out a winner. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

One More Dead Dog
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman is an amazing book. The title isn't really relevent but is still a great book. This book shows what it's like to be in junior high.

This book is a bout a football jock named Wallace Wallace who always tells the truth. For school, he had to read a book called Old Shep, My Pal and he hated it. So when Wallace writes his book report, being his honest self, his teacher doesn't like it at all. So until Wallace finishes his book report, Wallace has to miss all his football practices and games to work on the play Old Shep, My Pal. How will the play Old Shep, My Pal turn out and will Wallace ever play football again?

This book I have to say is one of my favourite books because it has drama, action and some comedy. I think this book would make kids happy from ages 10-12 and if you like books about kids doing their thing in school, then this is the book for you. Get No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman now!

Get Along, Little Doggie!
This is one of the most hilarious books I have EVER read! I laughed so hard I wiped tears of laughter out of my eyes. One thing I caught was that although the story was set in 2000, the date "Saturday, November 21" was given and November 21 was a Saturday in 1998!

Wallace Wallace, the unfortunately one-named 8th-grade protagonist lives by the "honesty is the best policy" credo. Some of his honest observations, while insulting to the recipients are hilariously articulate. For example, he tells a neighbor that her "light fluffy cake" tastes like "vacuum cleaner lint" and the icing reminds him of antifreeze. His cousin's clarinet playing sounds like "somebody strangling a duck." That was just TOO funny!

So are his observations of the maudlin story about Old Shep, a story about the death of a German shepherd. Wallace tells his English teacher (and later play director) that he dislikes the story and that "any book with an award medal on it and a picture of a dog" always has a canine casualty. He and his classmates list several books, including "Sounder" and "Old Yeller." Point made, Wallace is in the dog house with his English teacher. He has to serve detention, which means he cannot participate on the football team.

All right, Wallace grimly accepts that punishment. To cap it off, he has to attend rehearsals of the play "Old Shep" and write a review of the book. His review is scathingly honest and in true Wallace Wallace form, a riot. I laughed so hard at his reviews and observations!

Once committed to the play, Wallace makes many valid suggestions to make it more palatable and plausible. He insists on doing away with the stilted, somewhat implausible lines; he points out details that he feels a modern audience won't buy. His revisions include opening the play with witnessing a toy dog being run over by a motorcycle (a moped for safety's sake), rollerbladers; a punchy garage band and a believable, updated script. Even his nemesis, the redoubtable Mr. F., the English teacher/play director is reluctantly captivated by Wallace's progressive thinking. The clincher was when several boys, members of a garage band called the Dead Mangoes implore Mr. F. to play with them. Mr. F. and the boys, including the Beatle coiffed Myron "The Void" Muckenfusser have a rollicking good time jamming and getting some fun catchy tunes ready for the play. Beatle themes are subtly included, such as the description of Wallace's former best friend's hair as a Moptop and Myron's Beatle inspired locks. I loved that!

Despite the fun, someone is trying to sabatoge the play. Wallace is at the top of everybody's short list, but is he really the one? There are actually other suspects and the list grows until the smash finale prior to the final curtain.

This book is a keeper!

Confused!
Each chapter is from a differnt persons point of view... It makes no since during parts...