A humorous look at the way one quirky teacher brings out the best in each of his students. Steven Herrick delves into the murky waters of a middle-school classroom, complete with a nerdy vegetarian teacher, Mr. Carey. What a crazy class! And what a funny, unpredictable year—the year of Naked Bunyip Dancing—when the students find out who they are, what they're good at, and how to put on a fantastic show. The cast of characters includes Mr. Carey the Hairy, Billy the punk genius, J-man the rapper, Sophie the poet, Ahmet the soccer star, Anna the yoga master, Peter the boy with the talking bottom, Emily the ballerina, and others, each with a special talent. Mr. Carey introduces strange, new activities—from belly dancing to poetry jams—and the class responds with a passion for learning. The night of the class concert will undoubtedly be one of the best nights of their lives.

Mr. Carey has long hair
and a beard.
He wears flared trousers
and beads
and a T-shirt with the slogan
Meat Is Murder on the front
and McDonald’s = McJunk on the back.
Today is his first day.

...This is going to be
one very interesting year! —FROM THE BOOK