• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

The kids of Room 207 arrive at their class on the first day of school to find it has suffered “a most grievous accident” and is covered in mysterious slime. Their teacher leads her charges to the original one-room schoolhouse that stands on the property. But the schoolroom isn’t empty — it is inhabited by a spooky guest. The shock of being transferred to the worst classroom on the planet has barely worn off when Erik, the school’s biggest bully, and Stove, the world’s second fastest pot-bellied pig, are added to the attendance sheet.

The winner of this year’s Best Classroom contest will represent the school on a reality show, but what chance does Room 207 have to win when it is already nicknamed, “The Pigpen”? And how do you accept an award if your teacher has been swallowed by slime?

Room 207’s cast of hilarious characters includes a guinea pig named Butterbum, a cat who needed ten lives and nine kids desperate to prove themselves to the school and to the reality-tv viewing world.

Marnelle Tokio's profile page

Linda Hendry has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Some of her earliest works can still be found on the underside of her parent’s kitchen table – the same table that she and her sister sat at for hours and hours, filling up endless stacks of doodle pads with drawings of make-believe families and their adventures. After high school (of course she doodled in her notebooks!) Linda studied visual communication at The Alberta College of Art and Design, then moved to Toronto where she was offered the opportunity to illustrate a children’s book called ‘The Queen Who Stole The Sky’. The book was a finalist for the 1986 Canada Council Illustration award, which certainly helped to get her career rolling. Over 60 books later, Linda still loves to draw but has taken time off from illustrating to explore painting with acrylics and oils or try her hand at simple print-making techniques.

Linda Hendry's profile page

“The book will appeal to a wide range of readers; the short chapters, and fun situations will appeal in particular to more reluctant readers. Hendry’s illustrations add much to the book, and readers will enjoy them. Room 207 is also suitable for a back-to-school read-aloud; students of all ages will enjoy the adventures and exploits of this unconventional Grade 5 class.”
— Resource Link

Praise for More Than You Can Chew:

“This is an exceptional young adult novel… that takes you on a painful journey, and drops you off at the end with a greater understanding of eating disorders, compassion towards those suffering from this illness, and the deep satisfaction one experiences when they have shared the lives of characters they enjoy and see triumph in the end.”
— Resource Links

“Marty’s struggles…will satisfy teens’ voracious appetites…”
— Booklist

“… Marnelle Tokio…tells a gripping, believable story about a strong, world-weary girl.”
— Toronto Families

Room 207

The students of Room 207 are in for a surprise on their first day of school at Anna Swan Heights Elementary. A grievous accident has covered their classroom in slime, jeopardizing their chances at winning the Best Classroom Contest. Shocked to see their replacement classroom and to meet its ghostly inhabitant, the students are now more determined to win the contest.

Readers will laugh out loud at the antics of each student; from the quick quips of Todd and Adam, the Australian twin boys, to the bathroom adventures of school bully Erik. But they are all eclipsed by Room 207’s most entertaining characters: Butterbum, a guinea pig, and Pourquoi, the pot belly pig. A crisis soon occurs when their teacher Miss Chimney and Pourquoi disappear and it’s up to Room 207 to rescue her. A risky plan is devised and the students then team up to save their favorite teacher with Operation ‘Slime Bucket’.

Room 207 is a hysterical classroom adventure that is guaranteed to entertain. The illustrations by Linda Hendry are sure to amuse readers of all ages, from her images of the cast of characters to Pourquoi’s grand entrance. Fans of the Wayside School series by Louis Sachar will delight in Room 207 and the charming mishaps of its students.