Spencer Pendleton has recently transferred to a new school called Greenfield Middle, where he will supposedly get a fresh start after starting a fire in his previous school. However, after he encounters a bully and has an asthma attack, students label him as a ‘loser.‘ He always gets himself into trouble and causes chaos within the classroom. Instead of blending in with the crowd, Spencer stands out and catches the attention of a group of mysterious people around him.
There’s a tribe that exists within the school, full of runaway kids that originally attended Greenfield Middle. They own the school using weapons that were made out of office supplies and they live off of cafeteria food. He sees them through the cracks between the ceiling tiles and encounters them when he least expects it. To his confusion, the school staff and students don’t have any knowledge of their presence and assume that on top of being a troublemaker, Spencer is a liar.
But they are wrong.
Reading Homeroom Headhunters was an interesting experience for me. It reminded me of all those movies where the new kid arrives at school, and they have to rise to power. However, in Spencer’s case, he doesn’t care about rising to power, nor his reputation. I’m able to relate to Spencer and his perspective of the world. He views most things in a humorous way and attempts to crack a joke every now and then. In fact, my most favorite part of the book was a dialogue between him and the assistant principal.
“‘Well Jim,’ I leaned in. ‘Do you mind if I call you Jim?’ I said, chuckling.
‘It’s Principal Pritchard.’
‘Don’t you mean Ass-istant Principal, sir?’”
-page 37
Unlike books I usually read, Homeroom Headhunters is topped off with a great amount of humor and literature references. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a funny book full of adventure and full of what if’s. Find out what happens next in Spencer’s journey at the library. You can also meet Clay McLeod Chapman, the author of the book, at Write to Read Day.