The First Week of School

by Drew Beckmeyer

Follow along as an ensemble cast of characters experience an extraordinary first week of school in this hilarious picture book that’s perfect for fans of Jon Klassen and Lucy Ruth Cummins!

It’s the first day of school. An artist wonders if her drawings are good enough to show. An inventor is excited for show and tell. A group of competitive friends call themselves the Sport Kings (but nobody else does). Pat, the class pet, listens to the weird sounds humans make. The teacher is ready to start.

When the new student gets to class, things take a turn for the unusual. There’s something a little strange about the visitor—maybe even something out-of-this-world.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Humor, Aliens, Back To School, Childrens, Art

48 pages, Hardcover

Published June 25, 2024

Reviews

[Ann Haefele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quirky book about a space alien secretly joining a class during the first week of school. Found the layout to be too chaotic and not sure the intended audience would get the dry humor.

[Jenni Heins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book for adults. So much humor and heart. I have it on good authority that kids like it too!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievably fun twist on the class back to school story, featuring an extra terrestrial student and a time machine. The crayon illustrations are so unique. The kids feel so realistic in the way the talk and express their concerns. The shifting perspectives are really perfectly handled. Overall, a lot of fun.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun twist on the normal school story. I enjoyed all the different characters. I think the Artist is my favorite. She’s relatable!

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 174 Mia’s Book Club #285

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and different. Kids will enjoy this book from different perspectives. You could read this several times and still find new things.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing twist on the usual back to school story. Readers see a class gather on the first day of school. Many of the students share their thoughts and ideas as we scan around the page spread. One of them is an artist, one an inventor, several sports kids, and one who arrives later in the story. The inventor shares his machine but is sad when it doesn't work. Readers can see what actually happens when the invention sends a beam to outer space. The only other one who notices is Pat, the class bearded dragon. To Pat's surprise, a new student does arrive who is a little different from the others. This alien blends in and enjoys being part of the class until they get homesick. An amusing ending as this alien leaves a gift for the inventor to fix their time machine - and it works.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable picture book follows a classroom through their very first week of school! The artist wishes she'd shown her drawings during show and tell, the inventor wishes he could be working on his inventions, the teacher wishes she hadn't forgotten her lunch, and the classroom pet wishes someone would notice... the alien in the classroom?

This picture book was incredibly fun to read and left me thinking long after I put it down. Great for an older set with a longer attention span who will notice how nobody let the class pet out of his cage!

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

       An alien named Nobody comes to town during the first week of school and has some first experiences itself. What a fun way to experience the first week of school! I loved following all the different stories, struggles, and triumphs of all the different students and Nobody. Just a new fun way to talk about that first week of school jitters and exploration. A great book for teachers or kiddos who are nervous about school.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different take on the first day of school. There are little scenes around the page that show what the different characters think and feel. One is an artist, there are the sports kids and an inventor. Plus the teacher. We get to read what they think and their internal thoughts. It's a creative way to show different kids in a class. An alien comes to class and the kids don't even notice it, which is silly and kids reading the book will love. Def adding to back to school lists.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings me back to any of 32 first weeks of school! Love the different kids, the class pet Pat who “loves the weird sounds that humans shoot out of their head holes!”. I don’t drink coffee but I can appreciate the need for 8 cups before recess as her sentiment that “even good weeks are a lot of work”. Love the sci fi twist of Nobody and how he for right in with the class. Cool case cover art and endpages. Back cover has a cheeky message also!

[Kelly]

This is such a cool book! I'm glad that the authustrator gives us hints along the way about the alien life. I think kids this age would need that. But the text sounds like middle schoolers or even older, which maybe is allowed from an alien point of view? I just can't imagine kindergarteners playing with blocks and speaking like this or then understanding this story. But I love the alien's name and the overall plot.

[Susan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drew Beckmeyer is my new hero. This is my new favorite back to school book. The crayon drawings are enough to inspire 17 extension activities. I love that the teacher is overly caffeinated, that the class bearded dragon pet is an omniscient character, the kids are identified by their interests... and that the new kid is literally an extraterrestrial. This is such a delight, I cannot wait to share it with all kids at the start of school. What a glorious experience.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well..this is quirky book. The first pages seem like it is going to be a wonderful read aloud. Then turn the page. There are seven text blocks on the page. Some of the blocks are hard to read because of the red background. The students appear to be fifth graders, maybe even older. One said that "circle time" should be called "sphere time." But they do kindergarten activities like show and tell. Then a very unexpected student shows up. So weird....

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first week of school, and third grade is expecting a new student--but the Inventor is too busy trying to fix his satellite, the Artist is too busy worrying that her drawings aren't good enough, the Sports Kings are too busy arguing, and only Pat the bearded dragon knows the truth about the new kid.

Detailed drawings reveal important details, while clever and innovative storytelling builds to a humdinger of a final punch line.

[Erin Buhr]

Written by a teacher who has certainly experienced more than their share of nervous first weeks, it is no surprise that this captures the depth and width of the experience. The scattered, detailed text and illustrations don't lend well to reading aloud, but for kids who love to pour over details and see little secret nuggets hidden across layouts this is a back to school delight. 

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about this book. There were a few parts I liked but it was also very bizarre and random. It follows a classroom of children and their teacher during the first week of school but it also includes a side story of an alien landing and joining the classroom without the teacher noticing?

[Kirsten Pendreigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute delight. Clever, funny, full of heart. Somehow in such a short work, we are able to empathize with the vulnerability and revel in the quirks of a group of kids and their teacher as they get to know each other. A strange "new student" from outer space and a hilarious class pet named Pat round out the cast of endearing characters. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

[Debrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book unfolds in surprising directions that gave me a smile. There are lots of braided strands to enjoy following, with the engaging feel of piecing together a puzzle. The characters are sweet and funny, at first seeming to embody simple stereotypes but deepening in personable ways. Kids will enjoy being in (along with the class pet!) on the hidden happenings.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unexpected take on the first week of school.
Fun, unusual. The book follows various characters in the class through the first week--a group of academically unserious sports enthusiasts, a boy who spent his summer building a satellite, the class pet, a girl who loves art, an alien! named Nobody...

[Theo Scully]

~ the crayon texturey drawings make it feel more relatable, as if a kid is telling this story to me
~ shows the normalcy of a school day, compared against the aliens arriving in the background (which no one notices outside of Pat the bearded dragon class pet)
~ THE LOOPING END with the Inventor's time machine?! so cute
~ love the true ensemble feel of the book; appealing for all readers

[Madison Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading The First week of school by Drew Beckmeyer. I seen a series of events throughout this story due to the fact that there were a lot of nerves, and things that were all going on at once throughout this story. I think this would be a great read for children to read. This story showed new adjustments, overcoming fear, anxiety, imagination, and many more factors.
-Madison Taylor

[Abby Gerchak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it really captured how chaotic and exciting the first week of school can feel. The illustrations were lively and fun to look at, and there were a lot of little details that made the story engaging. It did get a bit busy at times, but overall it was entertaining and a great pick for easing first-day jitters.

[Josie Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the inventions and creativity shown in the classroom. Not sure about the how the teacher is portrayed throughout but love her classroom. The whole alien aspect is fun and kids will return to the book to take in all the details and clues.

[Peggy Hess Greenawalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read alone, with friends, or with the family. Maybe each day, read what happened in the book classroom, and then get your kids to share what happened in theirs. Funny and clever book to share with grades K to 6.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was weird. But I'll admit it was fun. The bearded dragon was my favorite character for sure. And I liked how the artist was actually the fastest kid.

But again, that was weird. And why did they have to make everyone forget at the end?

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very odd story about a space alien joining a class at school. The layout is kind of all over the place. I am not sure that this one would keep a young readers attention. They especially won't get the funny parts, as it is very dry humor. (Diamond 25-26)

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The first week of school is filled with a typical cast of characters, an artist, a group of athletes, a class pet, and an inventor - who really can invent. Hilarity ensues when the inventor's invention seemingly brings a new classmate that only the class pet recognizes for who it is.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun story highlighting some of the many personalities and experiences you’ll find in an elementary classroom. I think as a read aloud you will want to practice a few times to be sure you get the timing right.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

An alien shows up for the first week of class. I like the idea of this. And some of the artist student's art. But that's pretty much it. The art is not great. The text needed to be edited down to a lot less. This was just a garbled mess.

[Chance Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upcoming review in SLJ, but this is already one of my top picture books of the year.