Product Description

This book is about a hotel full of animals. And an evil ice maker. And glass eyeballs -- oh, and really old panty hose and Possibly Fake Hair. But mostly, it's about Leon Zeisel and his epic quest to survive fourth grade, despite his teacher, Miss Hagmeyer, and his archenemy, Lumpkin the Pumpkin, a human tank with a deadly dodgeball throw. Luckily, Leon has friends who will stand by him even if his magical plans for rescue and revenge involve ... SPIT!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92042 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-10
• Released on: 2005-05-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.com Review
Leon Zeisel is in big trouble. He is perpetually exhausted due to an overactive icemaker in the hotel where he lives, he discovers in his mother's desk a confidential envelope from his school announcing that he displays "a troubling lack of fine motor skills," and worst of all, he begins fourth grade under the tyrannical tutelage of Miss Hagmeyer, a black-cloaked, black-wigged, mushroom-eared woman who is obsessed with sewing, a fine motor skill if there ever was one. Insisting that all instruction should stem from the Middle Ages and "The Heavenly Stitches of Virtue," the Hag forces her students to sew an "animile" per month, a stuffed animal of sorts that is not to exceed four s.p.i. (stitches per inch) in the inseam. What happens when Leon decides to sew his end-of-year "Master Piece," the "spitting image" of Miss Hagmeyer, an exact miniature replica down to her liver-colored panty hose? Allen Kurzweil creates a magical, eccentric world where, as in many of the most satisfying children's books, adults are benevolent but flawed--and kids are in delicious control of them. Fans of Daniel Pinkwater's novels will feel right at home with this clever and suspenseful underdog-turns-champion story with a dribble of magic. (Ages 8 and older) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-A comic story with a touch of wish-fulfillment fantasy. Leon lives in the rather wacky and seedy New York City hotel where his mother works. The Classical School, which puts particular emphasis on handicrafts, presents a problem for him, as he is challenged in the area of fine motor skills. The villain of the piece is Leon's fourth-grade teacher, Miss Hagmeyer, who wears pantyhose the color of cooked liver and who has a curriculum based on the sewing of stuffed animals. In response to a threat that he may have to repeat the year, Leon sews a doll that is the "spitting image" of the teacher and by chance discovers that by manipulating it into different poses, Miss Hagmeyer follows suit as if in a trance. Leon and two friends then plot to get her to put a pair of her pantyhose over the head of the school bully. Kurzweil's humor is light and funny in relation to Leon's home life and friendships, but has more of an edge to it in the school-related scenes. The author handles the element of magic in a believable way. Less credible, however, is the speed with which his hero changes from being a "two stitches per inch" sewer to being capable of making a doll that looks like a human, even to the gnarls in the ears. If readers can suspend disbelief, they will enjoy the entertainment that Leon and his friends provide.
Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Fourth-grader Leon Zeisel must contend with a vindictive class bully, a mysterious teacher, bad marks for weak motor skills, and downright weird homework in this children's debut by an adult novelist. Nervous Leon already has his hands full when his "masterpiece" final-exam project is improbably dipped in spit, and Leon and his friends discover it has magical powers to control its spitting image: the seemingly evil teacher, Miss Hagmeyer. Strangely, the book's metaphysical elements end there, leaving other magic to vanish into thin air. The quirky goings-on at Leon's urban hotel home and offbeat school will engage interest, however, in this unusual blend of fantasy, mystery, and problem novel. For larger libraries. Vicki Arkoff
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Stitch after Stitch -- a review by Emily, age 9
The night before Leon Zeisel's first day of school, all that matters to him is an envelope, a confidential envelope. The next day he will be entering 4th grade and he will be face-to-face with Miss Hagmeyer, one of the strictest teachers in The Classical School, who is the mistress of sewing. So Leon enters 4th grade "Where nimble fingers make nimble minds," but after a day of running, he's already got an "Overcast" stitch in his side. Animiles, and animals, are jumbling before him. Will his luck change? Or will he get pricked?

"Leon and the Spitting Image" is full of surprises. The structure and balance of the book gathers all of the strings together and ties them into a knot at the very end. Leon has humor and confidence, as well as disappointment, but his journey needs that fuel to make the book impossible to put down.

Needles Ready!
Needing a book to read at the end of the year to my kids, I e-mailed a trustworthy librarian friend of mine, and this book was on the top of her list. That afternoon, the book was in my hand, and the next day, it was finished. Leon and the Spitting Image was an imaginative, drop-dead funny book that I can't wait to read to my class.

Written by Allen Kurzweil, who's better known for writing adult fiction like the wonderful "A Grand Complication", this book is all about Leon, a rather inept, un-dexterous lad who gets the misforunate of being assigned to Mrs. Hagmeyer's class. The Hag, as she is affectionately known, loves sewing above all else, much to the chagrin of Leon. As if in a labor camp, her students are forced to sew "animiles", little animals stuffed with her old panty hose. Leon's cohorts, P.W. and Lily-Matisse, engage in the mystery throughout the book, who is this horrible teacher Hagmeyer, and what can she possibly be doing with the creations?

The book is funny on two levels: children will love it for it's low-base humor (although I must admit to chuckling from time to time as well!), and smarter kids and adult will love it for it's sly, occasional puns, and situational humor (like a group of mimes, staying at the hotel that's Leon's home, complaining that their microphone isn't working). Writing a children's book is challenging because you must cover both arenas for a truly entertaining book, but Kurzweil holds up well. It is hardly reminiscent of Harry Potter, but much more in the vein of Roald Dahl.

By the end of the story, you don't necessarily want it to be over. Hopefully Kurzweil has in himself a few more books, so we can spend more time with Leon, his pals, a maid, an ice machine, and Napoleon!

The Possessed Doll -- a review by Cy, age 10
Leon Ziesel's teacher is obsessed with sewing. Every week he is assigned a new "Animile", which means in Leon's point of view, a stupid sewing project that is supposed to look similar to an animal. Each time someone in his class finishes an Animile; they turn it in and get their sewing spool moved up a notch on the thread. When the spool reaches the end of the thread, you are considered a sewing master. On the final project, the teacher announces that each person may choose what he or she wants to sew. Leon suddenly has the greatest idea of his life - he decides to make an Animile of his teacher. Sadly, when he is finally finished, the school bully, Lumpkin, steals it and soaks it in Leon's Gym teacher's spit. At first Leon cries because he thinks his masterpiece is ruined, but then he starts to realize that he can possess his teacher simply by moving the doll...

This book had a very funny beginning to get you hooked, which is a very good tactic by the author. It was almost as funny as the scene where Leon uses the doll make his teacher, Miss Hagmeyer, to do crazy jump rope tricks. Although I think this book is very good, I think the plot could have been slightly better if the main part of this story had a better mystery; for example the mystery in this book was why they were making Animiles, but I didn't think that was very important. Although this book is funny, it isn't the best for people who love nonstop humor. The book is mostly about Leon Ziesel and his friends. But at the end of every chapter there is an exciting cliffhanger you can look forward to. If you like funny, exciting, or mysterious books this is definitely the book for you.