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Substitute Creacher
The troublemaking students of Ms. Jenkins' class arrive at school one day to discover a substitute creacher has come to put a stop to their monkey business! He regales them with mind-boggling stories about his former students who didn't follow the rules: Keith the glue-eater, Zach the daydreamer, and Hank the prankster, to name a few. But even this multi-tentacled, yellow-spotted, one-eyed monster's cautionary tales about the consequences of mischief-making can't seem to change the students' wicked ways until he reveals the spookiest and most surprising story of all: his own.
Chris Gall's vibrant artwork leaps off the page with a dynamic comic book aesthetic that will grab both parents and monster-loving kids!
Chris Gall's vibrant artwork leaps off the page with a dynamic comic book aesthetic that will grab both parents and monster-loving kids!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published July 5, 2011
About the author
Chris Gall
29 books26 followersChris Gall has been drawing pictures for as long as he can remember. When he was caught doodling on his desk in second grade, his teacher suggested that he might become an artist some day, then made him clean all the desks in the classroom. In seventh grade, Chris won a Read Magazine Young Writers Award, and that inspired him to create stories to go with his art. After graduating from the University of Arizona, Chris became an award-winning, internationally recognized illustrator, and his artwork has been shown in almost every publication in America, including Time, Newsweek, People, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
In 2004, his first picture book, America the Beautiful, became a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, and his career in children’s publishing began. Since then he has authored and/or illustrated 16 more books, including the acclaimed Dinotrux, a 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s book; Revenge of the Dinotrux; Awesome Dawson; Substitute Creacher; Dog Vs. Cat and The Littlest Train. For grownups, he also illustrated and designed the PDT Cocktail Book, the 2012 Best New Cocktail Book, awarded by Tales of the Cocktail.
Chris has also worked as an adjunct professor of art at the University of Arizona and spent four years as a professional stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where in his spare time he works as a volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (Pima County Search and Rescue).
In August of 2015, after 5 years of development, Dreamworks Animation brought Dinotrux to Netflix as an animated television show for children.
In 2004, his first picture book, America the Beautiful, became a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, and his career in children’s publishing began. Since then he has authored and/or illustrated 16 more books, including the acclaimed Dinotrux, a 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children’s book; Revenge of the Dinotrux; Awesome Dawson; Substitute Creacher; Dog Vs. Cat and The Littlest Train. For grownups, he also illustrated and designed the PDT Cocktail Book, the 2012 Best New Cocktail Book, awarded by Tales of the Cocktail.
Chris has also worked as an adjunct professor of art at the University of Arizona and spent four years as a professional stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, where in his spare time he works as a volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (Pima County Search and Rescue).
In August of 2015, after 5 years of development, Dreamworks Animation brought Dinotrux to Netflix as an animated television show for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
September 8, 2011
I had trouble figuring out the intended audience for this book. The audience has to be old enough to know about school, substitute teachers, common school rules and several other things before it will make sense, but the format seems aimed at younger than that.
The initial premise, of a substitute teacher who is wildly weird, has been used before. In this case the sub is an actual monster...at least in appearance. In action, he spends the entire day telling the kids stories that are, in fact, a bit dull. Wildly exaggerated versions of the dangers of eating glue, or stuffing too much into your school desk? The horrors of leaving the hamster cage open?? By the time it gets to the real point of the story, I think that some readers will have lost focus. The initial point of the story seemed to be about rowdy or bad behavior, but fully half of the examples are nothing of the sort. Eating glue or daydreaming in class are NOT the same as putting tacks in the teacher's chair, or putting a baby shark in the classroom aquarium, but the equates them.
Oddly, the story can even be taken as a commentary on the "Three Strikes" law, as the sub finally gets to the story about a boy whose punishment is wildly out of scale with his crime...49 years of torment for stealing Halloween candy.
I will say that kids will love the artwork in the story. It's gross and silly in a way that will appeal to kids, even if the story fails to make much sense.
The initial premise, of a substitute teacher who is wildly weird, has been used before. In this case the sub is an actual monster...at least in appearance. In action, he spends the entire day telling the kids stories that are, in fact, a bit dull. Wildly exaggerated versions of the dangers of eating glue, or stuffing too much into your school desk? The horrors of leaving the hamster cage open?? By the time it gets to the real point of the story, I think that some readers will have lost focus. The initial point of the story seemed to be about rowdy or bad behavior, but fully half of the examples are nothing of the sort. Eating glue or daydreaming in class are NOT the same as putting tacks in the teacher's chair, or putting a baby shark in the classroom aquarium, but the equates them.
Oddly, the story can even be taken as a commentary on the "Three Strikes" law, as the sub finally gets to the story about a boy whose punishment is wildly out of scale with his crime...49 years of torment for stealing Halloween candy.
I will say that kids will love the artwork in the story. It's gross and silly in a way that will appeal to kids, even if the story fails to make much sense.
November 23, 2011
Don't really get the love I read on the Interwebz about this book. Loved the art and the beginning. Felt the rhyme alternating with prose awkward, the reason behind the creacher's existence felt forced and the ending just didn't make sense. Everything's the same 49 years later? Or, am I missing something?
July 19, 2025
Okay, so I really dug this one. A troublesome class of students has a special substitute called in to help get them into line. And this teacher, Mr. Creacher, tells them all horror stories about a bunch of bad kids and what happened to them. Almost feels like The Gashlycrumb Tinies meets Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Cautionary Tales for Children, but with a decidedly spookier flare.
The ending was quite surprising, but I enjoyed it very much.
My only complaint was that the teacher spoke in rhyme (which actually worked very well), but the rest of the book was not told in rhyme. So, when you switched between the two, it was a little jarring, especially if reading aloud. Still, it was very well done, funny, a little spooky, and a pleasure to read.
The ending was quite surprising, but I enjoyed it very much.
My only complaint was that the teacher spoke in rhyme (which actually worked very well), but the rest of the book was not told in rhyme. So, when you switched between the two, it was a little jarring, especially if reading aloud. Still, it was very well done, funny, a little spooky, and a pleasure to read.
September 21, 2017
Holy moley that was fun! I had a grin on my face the entire time! It's perfectly spooky for Halloween with a ton of gross-out classroom humor that kids (I'm including myself as a big kid here) love, with a surprisingly well-developed story that's even a bit touching in the end. I also thought the rhyming was really well done, and that the way it has Mr. Creacher talking in rhymes and the narration in regular prose was really a good way to do it.
And just a note: I can totally see that this would be better for older school-aged kids so they can appreciate the humor and be able to follow the story all the way to the end, but I don't see as that's a reason to rate this down like a lot of people seem to have done here :/
And just a note: I can totally see that this would be better for older school-aged kids so they can appreciate the humor and be able to follow the story all the way to the end, but I don't see as that's a reason to rate this down like a lot of people seem to have done here :/
October 25, 2020
I'm your substitute, but I'm not going to teach you anything. Just be your nanny and tell you what happens when kids misbehave. Then the magical gnome thinks I've made restitution and time goes 40 years in the past, and we all live happily ever after. The end. No kid is going to learn from this or from a substitute like Mr. Creature.
April 21, 2019
My 6 year old granddaughter loved this book!
February 1, 2011
With shiny green foil and mugshots of misbehaving children, Gall's picture book is a perfect Halloween or back to school treat. There's a mischievous gnome that pops up in each story, and as the story shifts from subtle tricks to dangerous and gruesome situations, the creature's past comes to light. A good lesson wrapped in an enjoyable monster tale, young readers and storytellers alike will delight in the telling. - C
July 15, 2011
As I read through this one, I felt that it was for an older age group (7 or 8 and up). A picture book for the goosebumps crowd in a way.
August 2, 2011
Just ok. Didn't like that the creature spoke in rhymes, but the children didn't. It interrupted the flow of the story. Illustrations were cartoony. Eh.
November 2, 2011
The art was decent and it shows rhyming well, but the story was fairly unfocused.
September 30, 2021
As a former substitute teacher, I really appreciated Chris Gall’s wonderfully funny and gorgeously illustrated children’s book, “Substitute Creacher”.
Ms. Jenkins needs a mental health day, so Mr. Creacher steps in to her rambunctious class of students. The kids are excited, because substitute teacher day means one thing: all classroom rules are out the window and they can behave as badly as they want.
One problem: Mr. Creacher actually does have eyes in the back of his head. Three of them, in fact. He also has dozens of tentacles which enable him to write on the chalkboard, turn pages in a book, grab that note that Billy is passing, and stopping Daisy from climbing out the window.
Seeing what he is dealing with, Mr. Creacher stops his lesson to tell the children some bone-chilling tales of terror about other naughty children and the fates that befell them.
Such as the story of Keith, who loved eating glue, so much so that things started sticking to him, until one day, he was buried under a pile of junk! Or the story of Sara, who never cleaned her desk out, until one day it became so full of stuff that it blew itself to bits!
Oh, there’s more, and with each story, the naughty kids of Ms. Jenkins class begin to realize that their naughty ways could end in disaster as well.
This book is a joy to read, for anyone who has ever substitute taught or been a naughty kid or both.
Ms. Jenkins needs a mental health day, so Mr. Creacher steps in to her rambunctious class of students. The kids are excited, because substitute teacher day means one thing: all classroom rules are out the window and they can behave as badly as they want.
One problem: Mr. Creacher actually does have eyes in the back of his head. Three of them, in fact. He also has dozens of tentacles which enable him to write on the chalkboard, turn pages in a book, grab that note that Billy is passing, and stopping Daisy from climbing out the window.
Seeing what he is dealing with, Mr. Creacher stops his lesson to tell the children some bone-chilling tales of terror about other naughty children and the fates that befell them.
Such as the story of Keith, who loved eating glue, so much so that things started sticking to him, until one day, he was buried under a pile of junk! Or the story of Sara, who never cleaned her desk out, until one day it became so full of stuff that it blew itself to bits!
Oh, there’s more, and with each story, the naughty kids of Ms. Jenkins class begin to realize that their naughty ways could end in disaster as well.
This book is a joy to read, for anyone who has ever substitute taught or been a naughty kid or both.
April 29, 2014
Booklist starred (June 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 19))
Grades K-2. Akin to those boxes of “eyeballs” (aka olives) that kids touch blindfolded before screaming their heads off, this is a delicious little shocker of a picture book that ought to whip your crowd of youngsters into a shrieking, laughing frenzy. A classroom of troublesome kids (they look rather like Rugrats) meet their match when giant, green, tentacled Mr. Creacher stops by to scare them straight. Speaking in ooze-bordered rhyme, the monster spins a series of two-page cautionary tales about the awful fates befalling misbehaving students. There was Keith, who ate glue and came to a rather sticky end; there was Kylie, whose constant doodles came back to bite her; and maybe worst of all was daydreamer Zach, who forgot to close the hamster cage before lunch: “And no one else noticed / in time to shout ‘FREEZE!’ / that the sandwich he held / WAS OF HAMSTER AND CHEESE!” (This and every other climax is illustrated with admirably twisted verve.) With dramatic low angles situated within comic-book panels, Gall portrays Creacher as deadly serious—until an unexpected twist reveals that the last victim in the casebook is Creacher himself, cursed by a magical gnome. A happy—though slightly ominous!—ending should help settle those still screaming.
Kirkus Reviews starred (June 1, 2011)
In this cautionary tale that combines humor and a touch of magic, good behavior is the lesson of the day when a particularly naughty class of students has a substitute teacher. The seven-tentacled, green substitute teacher, Mr. Creacher speaks in rhyme and glares from his single eye (in front that is; he's got three in back). He regales the class with tales of children who failed to behave in school and the fates that befell them. There's Keith, the glue-eater who stuck to all he touched, Zach, the daydreamer who accidentally ate the class pet, and Kylie, the artist, whose drawing came to life and ravaged the classroom. Then, Beauty and the Beast-like, Mr. Creacher reveals that he himself was a naughty child, put under a spell and sentenced to teach children about their wicked ways. It works-the children promise to reform, and with his debt now repaid, Mr. Creacher can return to his own childhood a changed boy. Gall's illustrations use speech bubbles that drip with green slime and graphic-novel elements to great effect, creating artwork that pops off the pages and appears almost three-dimensional. Touches of humor take the edge off some of the more frightening scenes. Great for both Halloween and the start of a new school year, this is certain to provide more than a few laughs to kids who have seen through Viola Swamp's disguise.(Picture book. 6-10)
Library Media Connection (October 2011)
Ms. Jenkins' class is in for a surprise when a "substitute creature" shows up one day to take over for the teacher. The students of the class, who are always in trouble, and readers of the book are taken on a mysterious adventure full of tricks, treats, and pranks with an ending full of awe and amazement. All involved are regaled with stories of this surprising substitute's previous students. Readers will experience a wondrous journey as they spend a day with this unusual substitute teacher. Chris Gall's typical use of vibrant colors is evident here as the striking illustrations capture the events of the story in a bright and cheerful manner. Youngsters will enjoy both the story and the illustrations again and again. Laura Eisenberg Robinson, Teacher, Seattle (Washington) School District, Big6 Project Manager. RECOMMENDED
Publishers Weekly (May 23, 2011)
Six unruly children are in for a shock when a green-speckled, one-eyed, tentacled monster (wearing a neat brown suit) shows up as their substitute teacher. Mr. Creacher also has three eyes on the back of his head, the better to intercept the inevitable tack-on-the-chair prank. He speaks in rhymes-encased in slimy-looking voice bubbles-and informs his disorderly students that, over 49 years, "I've collected some tales/ whose lessons are grave/ about boys and girls/ who didn't behave." He calmly launches into brief cautionary tales of children whose deeds bring big trouble. A glue-eater sticks to everything he touches, a doodler's dragon comes alive, and-worst of all-a boy (named Chris) steals from classmates and is transformed into a monster: " 'Til he repaid his debt,/ a creacher he'd be./ And by now you should know:/ That monster is me." Gall (Dinotrux) illustrates in explosive, cinematic panels; retro Ben-Day dot patterns allude to classic funnies. If the dire warnings fail to inspire repentance, Mr. Creacher's dilemma-and a conclusion that breaks the spell-may warm the cold hearts of defiant substitute baiters. Ages 3-6. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal (July 1, 2011)
K-Gr 2-Misbehaving kids meet their substitute-a one-eyed, green-tentacled monster that spouts rhyming cautionary tales of mischievous miscreants. There's Keith, who ate so much glue that random objects started sticking to him; Sara, who stuffed her desk so full of junk that it eventually exploded; Chris, a bully who stole candy from other kids and as punishment was turned into.the monster they see before them. As he gives away the last of the candy he stole long ago, the Substitute Creacher sheds his green skin, turning back into a boy and returning to his long-lost home in the past. Gall's illustrations are colorful and catchy with their comic-book style, but the tone of the text veers wildly from gleeful cautionary tale to maudlin sob story, and the result doesn't quite gel.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Grades K-2. Akin to those boxes of “eyeballs” (aka olives) that kids touch blindfolded before screaming their heads off, this is a delicious little shocker of a picture book that ought to whip your crowd of youngsters into a shrieking, laughing frenzy. A classroom of troublesome kids (they look rather like Rugrats) meet their match when giant, green, tentacled Mr. Creacher stops by to scare them straight. Speaking in ooze-bordered rhyme, the monster spins a series of two-page cautionary tales about the awful fates befalling misbehaving students. There was Keith, who ate glue and came to a rather sticky end; there was Kylie, whose constant doodles came back to bite her; and maybe worst of all was daydreamer Zach, who forgot to close the hamster cage before lunch: “And no one else noticed / in time to shout ‘FREEZE!’ / that the sandwich he held / WAS OF HAMSTER AND CHEESE!” (This and every other climax is illustrated with admirably twisted verve.) With dramatic low angles situated within comic-book panels, Gall portrays Creacher as deadly serious—until an unexpected twist reveals that the last victim in the casebook is Creacher himself, cursed by a magical gnome. A happy—though slightly ominous!—ending should help settle those still screaming.
Kirkus Reviews starred (June 1, 2011)
In this cautionary tale that combines humor and a touch of magic, good behavior is the lesson of the day when a particularly naughty class of students has a substitute teacher. The seven-tentacled, green substitute teacher, Mr. Creacher speaks in rhyme and glares from his single eye (in front that is; he's got three in back). He regales the class with tales of children who failed to behave in school and the fates that befell them. There's Keith, the glue-eater who stuck to all he touched, Zach, the daydreamer who accidentally ate the class pet, and Kylie, the artist, whose drawing came to life and ravaged the classroom. Then, Beauty and the Beast-like, Mr. Creacher reveals that he himself was a naughty child, put under a spell and sentenced to teach children about their wicked ways. It works-the children promise to reform, and with his debt now repaid, Mr. Creacher can return to his own childhood a changed boy. Gall's illustrations use speech bubbles that drip with green slime and graphic-novel elements to great effect, creating artwork that pops off the pages and appears almost three-dimensional. Touches of humor take the edge off some of the more frightening scenes. Great for both Halloween and the start of a new school year, this is certain to provide more than a few laughs to kids who have seen through Viola Swamp's disguise.(Picture book. 6-10)
Library Media Connection (October 2011)
Ms. Jenkins' class is in for a surprise when a "substitute creature" shows up one day to take over for the teacher. The students of the class, who are always in trouble, and readers of the book are taken on a mysterious adventure full of tricks, treats, and pranks with an ending full of awe and amazement. All involved are regaled with stories of this surprising substitute's previous students. Readers will experience a wondrous journey as they spend a day with this unusual substitute teacher. Chris Gall's typical use of vibrant colors is evident here as the striking illustrations capture the events of the story in a bright and cheerful manner. Youngsters will enjoy both the story and the illustrations again and again. Laura Eisenberg Robinson, Teacher, Seattle (Washington) School District, Big6 Project Manager. RECOMMENDED
Publishers Weekly (May 23, 2011)
Six unruly children are in for a shock when a green-speckled, one-eyed, tentacled monster (wearing a neat brown suit) shows up as their substitute teacher. Mr. Creacher also has three eyes on the back of his head, the better to intercept the inevitable tack-on-the-chair prank. He speaks in rhymes-encased in slimy-looking voice bubbles-and informs his disorderly students that, over 49 years, "I've collected some tales/ whose lessons are grave/ about boys and girls/ who didn't behave." He calmly launches into brief cautionary tales of children whose deeds bring big trouble. A glue-eater sticks to everything he touches, a doodler's dragon comes alive, and-worst of all-a boy (named Chris) steals from classmates and is transformed into a monster: " 'Til he repaid his debt,/ a creacher he'd be./ And by now you should know:/ That monster is me." Gall (Dinotrux) illustrates in explosive, cinematic panels; retro Ben-Day dot patterns allude to classic funnies. If the dire warnings fail to inspire repentance, Mr. Creacher's dilemma-and a conclusion that breaks the spell-may warm the cold hearts of defiant substitute baiters. Ages 3-6. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal (July 1, 2011)
K-Gr 2-Misbehaving kids meet their substitute-a one-eyed, green-tentacled monster that spouts rhyming cautionary tales of mischievous miscreants. There's Keith, who ate so much glue that random objects started sticking to him; Sara, who stuffed her desk so full of junk that it eventually exploded; Chris, a bully who stole candy from other kids and as punishment was turned into.the monster they see before them. As he gives away the last of the candy he stole long ago, the Substitute Creacher sheds his green skin, turning back into a boy and returning to his long-lost home in the past. Gall's illustrations are colorful and catchy with their comic-book style, but the tone of the text veers wildly from gleeful cautionary tale to maudlin sob story, and the result doesn't quite gel.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2018
Summary:
All the students were happy at first because they saw that their normal teacher was gone, and it would be a substitute teacher. But the sub, Mr. Creacher, was very harsh on the students and told them that he was there to warn the students what would happen if they continue to misbehave. He told them stories of so many bad students and the bad things that happened to them. One story of a student was Chris, who was a thief and stole candy and other things. Mr. Creacher was Chris, and this was his punishment, but in the end of the book he gave away everything he had stolen and turned back into the young Chris.
Possible Topics:
1. Respect your all your teachers (typical teacher or not).
2. Shows the ways to behave and what not to do.
3. It is never too late to apologize and give back.
All the students were happy at first because they saw that their normal teacher was gone, and it would be a substitute teacher. But the sub, Mr. Creacher, was very harsh on the students and told them that he was there to warn the students what would happen if they continue to misbehave. He told them stories of so many bad students and the bad things that happened to them. One story of a student was Chris, who was a thief and stole candy and other things. Mr. Creacher was Chris, and this was his punishment, but in the end of the book he gave away everything he had stolen and turned back into the young Chris.
Possible Topics:
1. Respect your all your teachers (typical teacher or not).
2. Shows the ways to behave and what not to do.
3. It is never too late to apologize and give back.
February 2, 2018
I give this book a 4 star rating.
This book is about a class that gets a substitute monster for a teacher. This leads to the class acting worse then ever before. This leads to the substitute monster telling all the stories about former students. There were stories about students who brought pets to class, a student who ate glue, and a student who would draw instead of taking the test. This leads to the students starting to behave. It is because of this that the substitute monster turned back into a regular human being.
Ways to use this in a classroom
1) Teaching your students how to act in class
2) How to have students act during a substitue
3) Make up rules for when there is a sub
4)Make up stories of other students who have misbehaved
This book is about a class that gets a substitute monster for a teacher. This leads to the class acting worse then ever before. This leads to the substitute monster telling all the stories about former students. There were stories about students who brought pets to class, a student who ate glue, and a student who would draw instead of taking the test. This leads to the students starting to behave. It is because of this that the substitute monster turned back into a regular human being.
Ways to use this in a classroom
1) Teaching your students how to act in class
2) How to have students act during a substitue
3) Make up rules for when there is a sub
4)Make up stories of other students who have misbehaved
January 28, 2025
I am currently in college and per a Children's Lit class have been tasked to read many books a week and review them. I think as adults it may be a bit hard to fully grasp what might make a book interesting to a child which may seem boring or predictable to us. So I am writing this review from the point of a child. I had this book as a kid and I reread it SO MANY times. I loved the artwork, the cautionary tales that used imagination and most of all the way the substitutes story was revealed at the end. I believe I read this as a second grader and I had no trouble understanding and coming back to the book to read on my own ever when it wasn't anywhere near Halloween!
November 28, 2017
There are many books about the horrors of substitute teachers, but none like this! This substitute brought these rowdy children stories of exploding desks, smoke breathing dragons, and a hamster and cheese sandwich! The story takes an interesting turn when the students discover that this creacher of a substitute was really a young boy who was cursed for being a candy thief!
Overall, this story was kind of all over the place. While Gall told us why the Creacher was doomed to being a monster, I felt that there was a big piece of the story missing. Gall's pacing for this tale is too quick which makes the story not as enjoyable as it could've been.
Overall, this story was kind of all over the place. While Gall told us why the Creacher was doomed to being a monster, I felt that there was a big piece of the story missing. Gall's pacing for this tale is too quick which makes the story not as enjoyable as it could've been.
March 1, 2026
I rated Substitute Creacher a 5/5 because it's one of my favorite childhood books, and it holds up so well! The story has a fun mix of spooky and silly that I thoroughly enjoyed as a kid. The message about choices, behavior, and learning from mistakes is meaningful without feeling too preachy. The illustrations are bold and full of personality. In my opinion, the art is majority of what makes the book so memorable to me. I think this is a great story to open up a conversation about responsibility. I'd definitely keep this one in an lower elementary classroom!
February 6, 2023
I read this book to some of my childcare kiddos, they absolutely loved it - and so did I! This book teaches kiddos a great lesson while also showing they great illustrations and introducing them to a variety of new vocabulary words. I love that it taught them to respect new teachers, even if the change is scary - always be respectful and a good student. I would absolutely read this to my students in my future classroom, 10/10.
October 1, 2024
I found the continuous rhyming structure of the narrative to be boring. I skipped ahead of the repetitive "lessons" and was pleased to see there was at least a strange twist at the end.
On the plus side: The retro, comic book art style was neat, I liked the punny title, and it definitely had a unique feel to it. I could see it tickling certain older kids (elementary aged) with longer attention spans and an interest in monsters.
On the plus side: The retro, comic book art style was neat, I liked the punny title, and it definitely had a unique feel to it. I could see it tickling certain older kids (elementary aged) with longer attention spans and an interest in monsters.
August 21, 2025
The art in this book is great. The story is strange. It hit notes where bad behavior is examined but then you learn that he was also one of these bad children and has been repenting. The children feel sorry for him. He seems to have done enough and turns back into a child which is a weird time lapse as fifty years have passed. Overall on the fence if I should include or exclude this book in our library.
May 25, 2020
I really enjoyed this one just because the plot twist and the end was something that I was not expecting at all. If this book was just a little bit longer and maybe a little bit more of a story I would give it 5 stars but with how it is now I’m very glad that I read it and I highly recommend this book to parents with young kids it was really a fun read.
November 7, 2022
Impulse grab from the library, because my son just got hired as a substitute. This is very cute, reminds me of that very old German book I cannot remember the name of, full of cautionary tales that will make the target audience laugh. I, as an adult, liked the ending. I have no idea whether my son will relate to it or like it all, though.
June 9, 2018
I'm a substitute teacher and I enjoyed this book. It was funny and the ending was not what I expected. it's a perfect read aloud for a substitute to read with students, particularly in October (wink, wink).
August 29, 2019
Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall is a book about kids tormenting their teacher until a substitute came in to change all of that. This book would be a great one for halloween. I highly recommend this book.
October 11, 2020
A story with a moral. The substitute creacher comes in and his tales teach the kids a lesson each that pertains to something they each do that could get out of hand and have disasterous consequences. It ends well, esp. for the substitute creacher.
June 21, 2022
Fiction
Grades: 3-5
I thought the author is very creative when it comes to the different things students try in the classroom with different teachers. You will have a delightful time watching and looking at the different responses on the children's faces while you are listening and discussing.
Grades: 3-5
I thought the author is very creative when it comes to the different things students try in the classroom with different teachers. You will have a delightful time watching and looking at the different responses on the children's faces while you are listening and discussing.
May 12, 2023
Substitute creacher
by Chris Gail
Used in a fourth grade class the teacher hoping to help her students accept a substitute teacher. The story shows how our actions can affect us for a long time. They find that honesty is important and that small things can have big replication.
by Chris Gail
Used in a fourth grade class the teacher hoping to help her students accept a substitute teacher. The story shows how our actions can affect us for a long time. They find that honesty is important and that small things can have big replication.
October 8, 2017
Great book to encourage kids to behave.
October 10, 2017
Super fun, especially as a sub myself.
October 18, 2017
This book is good for getting students to describe a "creacher" of their own. I used this book with 2nd grade to launch a writing, descriptive activity. Perfect for Halloween dress up season.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews