FernFolio

When he is asked to join the school’s Quiz Kids team, TJ Barnes figures that the person they really want is his best friend, Seymour.  Seymour is a walking encyclopaedia of strange and interesting facts, and just what the school needs to finally win against their arch-rivals at Fairview, who have won the contest three times in a row.  But, although Seymour is probably the smartest kid at Riverside Elementary, he’s also prone to forgetting all about the rules.  TJ realizes pretty quickly that, though Mr. Phelps agrees to accept Seymour as the team’s alternate, the vice-principal is hoping that he’ll coach TJ for the contest, which will be broadcast on cable television.  TJ, on the other hand, figures that once Seymour gets in a little practice with bells and buzzers and questions, Mr. Phelps will put him on the team.  So Seymour and TJ attend practices and discover that their fellow team mates have been memorizing information and perfecting their game strategy for months.
The prospect of competing on the Quiz Kids game show become a little more daunting after TJ meets Elizabeth Jessop, daughter of the wealthy couple who have hired his parents to do some work on their house, and a member of rival Fairview’s team.  Her rather superior attitude just serves to remind TJ how spectacularly average he really is.  When he starts feeling competitive, and then loses his temper with Seymour, TJ concludes that being on the Quiz Kids team is a bad idea.
Hazel Hutchins’ fifth book about TJ, Seymour and the cats is a delightful story about an ordinary kid’s misadventures.  It is funny and thought provoking, and will have you rooting for TJ right to the last page!
FernFolio Editor