Review of What Did They Say?

[Amanda Collier]

[Following is a volunteer review of "What Did They Say?" by Todd Sherman.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Todd Sherman’s What Did They Say? is a hilarious glimpse into the life of a middle school teacher and the silly things kids say.

The author of this book is a retired language arts teacher. As a part of his teaching process, he developed a “Quote of the Day.” This involved documenting the outlandish things that his eighth-grade students said. If the quote was memorable enough, it got placed on the whiteboard as a quote of the day. At the end of the year, the best quotes were permanently memorialized on the classroom wall. Throughout his career, Todd Sherman collected hundreds of quotes ranging from off-the-wall comments to silly missteps of speech.

I found myself laughing multiple times throughout this book. The common quote “kids say the darnedest things” is proven accurate many times over through many different examples in the book. Eighth grade is such a turning point in a kid’s life, right at the beginning of teenage years. It seems like kids at this age don’t have much of a filter, and whatever thoughts come into their brains come out as outlandish commentary. This book is a fascinating read, and I smiled the whole way through. I also really appreciate the author’s dedication to the privacy of his former students. Only first names are used, and no dates are provided. On the few occasions that last names are used in the book, the author makes a comment stating that permission to do so was received.

This book is, without a doubt, 5 out of 5 stars. It is very well written, which makes sense as it was written by a former language arts teacher. It is hilarious and endearing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a great, quick read for anyone who needs a dose of silliness. It is laugh-out-loud funny at times.
 

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What Did They Say?
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