Rex Fenderbender is the new school bus driver, and rumour has it that he drives as if he's racing in the Indy 500 and that he makes the kids rebuild the engine when it breaks down. Are the rumours true? The students will soon find out.

I would read this book on the first day of school just as a fun introductory activity. This book is about a kid who hears bad things about his bus driver and the book goes through all the crazy things that the bus driver supposedly does. The illustrations are very detailed and are suspenseful. There is a lot on one page, kids could look at pages forever and always find something new. I sends the message that you should not judge someone until you have met them. essentially, dont judge a book by its cover. ( )

I like this book for three reasons. First, I like the book because the illustrations enhance the story and are appropriate to the mood of the text. On each page, there is a colorful picture that displays the main character’s thoughts about his new bus driver. In the beginning, the main character is scared of all of the things he has heard about the driver. Therefore, the illustrations show images of a t-rex that is green and has sharp teeth. To support the mood of the book, the bus driver is always smiling and the students in the bus constantly have terrified expressions on their faces. Furthermore, during the points where the main character is thinking about what the driver will look like, the illustrations are filled with complex detail; however, once the student sees the driver, the illustrations become simpler with a more typical look.
Second, I like the book because the plot is filled with suspense. Throughout the book, the main character is waiting to meet his new bus driver. While waiting, the boy goes through what he has heard about the bus driver. At each page, there is a new prediction about the bus driver that adds suspense to the work. For instance, the book states, “And Derek heard he lets his guide dog do most of the driving.” As the book continues, the suspense increases. At the end, the books states, “Uh-oh. There’s the bus! It’s stopping for me. The door’s opening.” This quote displays the pinnacle suspense point where the boy is about to meet the new bus driver. Therefore, I like the book because the plot is filled with suspense.
Finally, I like the book because it is from the first person point of view of a student getting the new bus driver. Because the book is in the young boy’s perspective, the book is able to display the thoughts and emotions experienced by the student. For instance, the boy says, “You have to jump out…while he’s moving!” This quote displays the student’s fear of what the bus driver will be like. The student is worried about all of the items that he has heard about the bus driver. If the book had been in another person’s perspective or from a third person’s point of view, the text would not be able to display the depth of emotions that a student faces.
Throughout the book, the author’s big idea is that one should not listen solely to reports from others on how a person is; rather, one must wait to meet the new person in order to make one’s own judgment. In the book, the boy was worrying about his bus driver because of everything he had heard from his peers; however, when he finally met the bus driver, he realized that the driver was nothing like what he had heard. Thus, one must wait to make judgments until one has met the new person. ( )

Good illustrations. Funny, great follow up to the teacher from the black lagoon. ( )

This is a story about a boy who is afraid of his bus driver. He heard his name was T. Rex. He hears all of these scary stories all day about his bus driver and is terrified to get on. He finally has to go to the bus and finds out that he had nothing to worry about after all. Although, he was a little dissapointed that they would not be racing in the Indy 500. Cute story for a first day or even a day close to Halloween. ( )