Why Johnny Died

Rating:
Summary: Marlis knows how to spin a good yarn.
Review: Margo Brown, a seventh grade language arts teacher and protagonist of Why Johnny Died, never planned to be a detective. It's only when one of her students dies unexpectedly - an event never before experienced in her twenty-year career - that the veteran educator turns sleuth. Her decision to give Johnny Benson's school journal to his grieving mother seems like a good one until Margo reads the final few entries in the book. Driven by a need to know the truth about her young student, Margo and fellow teacher Roxie Rayburn use their status as faculty members of James Whitcomb Riley Middle-High School to gain entry to the homes of those people closest to Johnny Benson. Their snooping eventually leads to a confrontation not only with school authorities but also with an extremely desperate killer.

Marlis Day has created a set of realistic characters in Why Johnny Died. Anyone who remembers their own school days will recognize Dr. Leo Fitzbaum, the slightly officious principal known as "Old Fuzzy balls" to the less reverent students of James Whitcomb Riley. Clude Dupree, "the only man I ever knew who actually tied his sweater sleeves around his shoulders," is the formidable but well dressed assistant principal in charge of discipline. Frances Updike is the teacher we can all recall, the one who "consistently wore dark skirts with matching blazers as her school uniform." And those of us who have been forced to sit through endless seminars in the name of continuing education will appreciate Marlis' humorous take on a workshop attended by Margo and Roxie. Having "traveled to Indianapolis in search of intelligent life," the audience "sat like amiable toads in harmony of purpose. There was no discord in our ranks; we were bored in unison."

Why Johnny Died is characterized by clean writing, good characterization, and a believable plot. Anyone who appreciates intelligent writing will find more than a mystery in this first novel by Marlis Day. I look forward to the further adventures of Margo Brown.

Rating:
Summary: Marlis knows how to spin a good yarn.
Review: Margo Brown, a seventh grade language arts teacher and protagonist of Why Johnny Died, never planned to be a detective. It's only when one of her students dies unexpectedly - an event never before experienced in her twenty-year career - that the veteran educator turns sleuth. Her decision to give Johnny Benson's school journal to his grieving mother seems like a good one until Margo reads the final few entries in the book. Driven by a need to know the truth about her young student, Margo and fellow teacher Roxie Rayburn use their status as faculty members of James Whitcomb Riley Middle-High School to gain entry to the homes of those people closest to Johnny Benson. Their snooping eventually leads to a confrontation not only with school authorities but also with an extremely desperate killer.

Marlis Day has created a set of realistic characters in Why Johnny Died. Anyone who remembers their own school days will recognize Dr. Leo Fitzbaum, the slightly officious principal known as "Old Fuzzy balls" to the less reverent students of James Whitcomb Riley. Clude Dupree, "the only man I ever knew who actually tied his sweater sleeves around his shoulders," is the formidable but well dressed assistant principal in charge of discipline. Frances Updike is the teacher we can all recall, the one who "consistently wore dark skirts with matching blazers as her school uniform." And those of us who have been forced to sit through endless seminars in the name of continuing education will appreciate Marlis' humorous take on a workshop attended by Margo and Roxie. Having "traveled to Indianapolis in search of intelligent life," the audience "sat like amiable toads in harmony of purpose. There was no discord in our ranks; we were bored in unison."

Why Johnny Died is characterized by clean writing, good characterization, and a believable plot. Anyone who appreciates intelligent writing will find more than a mystery in this first novel by Marlis Day. I look forward to the further adventures of Margo Brown.

Rating:
Summary: An extremely entertaining, witty, but sad story
Review: Marlis Day has been a teacher for 30 years. She holds a BS degree from Indiana State University and an MS degree from Indiana University. She is also a freelance writer, having published ten articles in Christian magazines and educational journals. Why Johnny Died is her first Margo Brown mystery.

Johnny Benson, a seventh grader with a sweet personality and a rotten home life, is found dead by his mother of an apparent snake bite. Margo Brown is his teacher, and when she reads a journal Johnny wrote for her class, she is convinced that he is too smart to have carelessly picked up a snake. She concludes that he was murdered, but no one believes her, except her colleague Roxy. Together they piece together a chain of facts that implicate their ever so stern principal in Johnny's death. Dr. Fitzbaum transparently tries to dispose of Johnny's journal because it has incriminating evidence, and he would succeed if it wasn't for Margo Brown's penchant for adventure:

"In stunned silence we stared at each other-he with his gun in the doorway, and I, seated in his chair with my arms full of his private papers. . . and Johnny Benson's journal. As most school principals, Leo had been given the gift of glare, and could beat me in a starting contest any day of the week. I'm sure my expression was a combination of terror and wide-eyed astonishment, while he was calm and feral."

Why Johnny Died is a mystery with a purpose, as Ms. Day clearly expostulates in her epilogue. Teachers see children from broken homes; children who are abused; and children from homes full of alcohol and drug abuse every day. Because of the legal system, teachers no longer have any real control over their students' lives. Therefore they cannot come to the assistance of children in need. This is a national tragedy. It has pushed good people out of teaching, and made the act of teaching that much harder. Children who are troubled are simply thrown back into the classroom, where they disrupt the atmosphere and interfere with the learning process for all children. Ms. Day writes her extremely entertaining, witty, but sad story to get our attention. Children are the single most important resource we have...thanks, Ms. Day.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Engaging. Steeped in real life. A mystery to savor.
Review: Marlis Day spins a tale composed of real people and possibilities. You'll feel you know them and are interacting throughout. In particular, teachers and school administrators will see themselves, their students and their predicaments come to life on the page.