The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

Mac and Vince are your two ordinary kids attending middle school. Well, not really. The two friends run a business in the East Wing boy’s bathroom in the 4th stall. They help people deal with bullies, test answers, forged hall passes, doctor’s notes, etcetera. One day, a customer came in with the hardest job they’ve ever faced. The legendary delinquent in the city, Staples, has come back to cause trouble, and now, everyone needs their help. The harder the problem, the more it costs and money is draining out. The friends have to find a way to stop Staples before they go bankrupt. Except, Staples isn’t their only problem. Staples is an organization.

I think this book is great! This book is if you put an action story with crime and mystery, together with an ordinary middle school. The author’s humor is fun to read along with and I always like the parts where Mac and Vince think of clever ways to stop Staple’s henchmen and put it into action. Do I deeply relate to these characters? No. Not really. I honestly think middle school’s supervision is much more complicated than this. For example, on page 24 it says, “There are teachers who monitor the halls, but I’ve found over the years that most teachers are pretty clueless when it comes to how things work among kids.” I can believe that and I’ve also found that to be true but I don’t think adults in real life are blind enough to not notice a giant gambling business running throughout the whole town.

If you like crime, mystery, drama, and mundane school stories, this book is for you! This book is definitely not serious and high level but if you just want a book to read and relax, then this might be for you.

Review by Lucy W.