Just when you thought you knew it all about witches and warlocks a book like Janitors, by Tyler Whitesides, comes along and gives you a very exciting twist. Trickery and unexpected run-ins with weird creatures who feed on kids’ brainwaves are only half the story. One very curious boy named Spencer wants to get to the bottom of the suspicious, wild-looking janitors. Eventually events around the school spiral out of control. Who would have guessed the board of education is seriously taking over the school? It’s not for the better either! Illustrations throughout the book only add to the fun. At times the adults can seem condescending to the children, usually out of frustration from disastrous actions. Bullying is a big part of the first part of the book, though it helps the reader understand the growth of the main characters. Readers will enjoy the way Tyler Whitesides develops and clearly conveys information as you read. Janitors is geared more for kids with a love for fantasy.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Shadow Mountain

Content Analysis:

Language is limited to the word “dummy” and one child saying “she’s a hottie” and “Emperor Fatso” about two separate adults.

As mentioned briefly above, the main character is bullied by another character and throws rotten milk at him. The bully can be harsh and takes advantages of other kids’ weaknesses. The characters in this book fight a lot with toxites, magical creatures who try to feed off of children’s brainwaves. The main characters and janitors have a wrestling fight to free a mother who has been taken hostage. Concussion, broken bones, and a trickle of blood are mentioned briefly resulting from a chain of events that include a car crash, wrestling for objects and an explosion.

Janitors contains no sexual content and carries a mild mature theme whereas all events of excitement are described for children of a younger age.

Mature Subject Matter:

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Alcohol / Drug Use:

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