Analysis Of Story Time By Edward Bloor

Story Time, by Edward Bloor, Harcourt: United States of America, 2001. 424 pages. Reviewed by Mar Vincent Agbay
When browsing book stores, one cannot help to pick up a book that has an eye-catching cover. So, it was not a surprise that a book with a little demon on its cover, and glossy red lettering that gave it an orange tint, would attract one’s attention. Then with a blurb that gives us a glimpse into Whittaker Magnet School: standardized test and demons – which entices a student who commonly think of their schools as, well, hell.
Edward Bloor is an author to watch out for since the release of his first book, Tangerine. Both his first novel and Story Time were nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 1998 and 2005, respectively.

He was successful in this endeavor in two occasions:
First, in page 82 to 83, the county commissioners were said to “select a best essay every week from the students here at Whittaker.” Then from there, select the best essay for the last year. It was no surprise that the fourth-generation Whittaker, Whit Austin, who won. His essay entitled, “Why Higher Test Scores Mean Higher Real Estate Values” gave us in spades of what Bloor’s intention.
Second, a science fair was held and only two were competing. One was George Melvil’s The Flying Machine: A System of Low-Resistance Pulleys, and Whit Austin’s Laser Cannon with Tracker. George’s project wasn’t even given a peep from the judges and that when he was trying to get their attention, Susan Singer-Wright, chair of the county commission, said to him that the fair already had a winner.
It was again no surprise that Cornell “Whit” Whittaker-Austin won.
But aside from these scenes, Edward Bloor’s vision of a novel, that will put the spotlight on the standardized testing in schools, went downhill – from a satirical novel to a supernatural

Austin’s daughter, running head first into a wall for at least 3 times; Mrs. Hodges, a librarian, falling to her death from 8 stories high; Bud Wright, also losing his mind, and sticking his head in a tuba; Whit undressing in front a room full of people; Cornelia also losing her mind (and hair); Susan Singer-Wright being beamed to death; the First Lady shooting at the corpse of Susan Singer-Wright; and then seeing the dead bodies of Walter Barnes and Mrs. Hodges in a rolling refrigerator and casually bantered with each other and deciding to lower the temperature of the rolling refrigerator to fog out the glass