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The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #11
Skeletons Don't Play Tubas
Wondering at their weird new band teacher, the Bailey School kids are surprised when he comments that the classroom skeleton, Claude, can play music better than they can, and when everyone wonders who is playing the tuba, Eddie vows to find the truth. Original.
80 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1994
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469 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Dadey
254Ìýbooks316ÌýfollowersDebbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 31, 2024
Skeletons Don't Play Tubas is a book that I actually have some nostalgia for.When I was a kid I actually remember reading this book and not liking itI even read it in music class,so the scenery was there.And to be honest I feel about the same way after reading it as an adult.The story starts with our four main protagonists,Howie,Liza,Melody and Eddie.They are hunting for leaves for a autumn festival inside a graveyard.Why? Because apparently this is where you get the best leaves.They see a Slenderman looking guy carrying a box just as big as he is and they are kinda freaked.They spy on this guy and see that he's entering Bailey City Elementary.They soon learn that the guy is named Mr.Belgrave and he will be their Band teacher.But the school doesn't even have a band room.But don't worry.The band room is inside a storage closet complete with a Skeleton named Claude that stands in the back.But it's just a Skeleton from a science kit.When the kids are awarded their very own musical instruments,things get weird.Liza thinks she hears tapping and says she sees the skeleton tapping his foot.Eddie is the only one to believe her because the next day the skeleton presumably grabs him on the shoulder.Thats honestly all this book is.The kids other then Howie and Melody think this Skeleton is alive.There are some pretty decent scenes in the school late at night and the illustrations are kinda creepy for this kind of book.Other then that this one was very weak I give Skeletons Don't Play Tubas a two out of five stars.
June 25, 2023
They thought a skeleton was playing a tuba but it was there teacher. that was a wild ride.that was a creepy book
February 16, 2016
Eddie, Howie, Melody, Liza, and all of their class mates have a new class and teacher. Music Class is taught by a skinny, pale man named Mr. Belgrave, who has a skeleton named Claude. But the four friends keep hearing tuba music, could it be the skeleton Mr. Belgrave calls Claude?
This book has humour and mystery. It's not mega scary, but it does have a bit of spook. Age range is 8 and up.
I like this book because the kids solve mystery’s. My favourite part is when Eddie shakes Claude's hand. There is nothing I don't like about this book. Happy reading!
This book has humour and mystery. It's not mega scary, but it does have a bit of spook. Age range is 8 and up.
I like this book because the kids solve mystery’s. My favourite part is when Eddie shakes Claude's hand. There is nothing I don't like about this book. Happy reading!
July 15, 2018
I think this one is also my favourite out of this series.
I don't know why, but I really enjoyed the idea of a skeleton playing the tuba. I'm pretty sure the kids' mind was just playing tricks on them the whole time, considering their new band teacher looked like a skeleton. I just had a lot of fun reading this one.
And even though they couldn't really prove that the skeleton wasn't alive, you still couldn't help but wonder.
Also, why was he in the back with the band with the tuba, and then all of a sudden the principal shows up? Was it supposed to be him all along, or what?
I don't know why, but I really enjoyed the idea of a skeleton playing the tuba. I'm pretty sure the kids' mind was just playing tricks on them the whole time, considering their new band teacher looked like a skeleton. I just had a lot of fun reading this one.
And even though they couldn't really prove that the skeleton wasn't alive, you still couldn't help but wonder.
Also, why was he in the back with the band with the tuba, and then all of a sudden the principal shows up? Was it supposed to be him all along, or what?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2018
Bailey Elementary has a new band teacher that the third graders believe is trying to get the skeleton always watching them to start playing its own instruments! Dadey amps up the humour with this delightful entry to the beloved series!
July 10, 2012
My daughter and I are reading this it's the first chapter book that she's reading by herself.
September 1, 2014
This one of the weird stories but still awesome!
June 15, 2021
Cute.
August 1, 2022
Charlie gave it a 4. I give it 2.5. I found it predictable, and I hated how poorly it portrayed learning to play instruments in band.
September 3, 2022
Okay so this one like one of my favorite series from when I was a little kid, so I'm biased because my feelings towards all of the books are bathed in sweet, sweet nostalgia.
Shockingly enough, this book actually made me laugh years later, despite being an adult and for that maybe it's an automatic 5, but I will not be stopping there! I really liked how despite the fact that Liza and Eddie have literally opposite personalities, they paired up to deal with the issue at hand before anyone else in the friend group was on board. The pacing was good, the build-up was good, and it's just an overall good reading experience.
As a side note, I had the biggest crush on Eddie when I was a little tyke, and even though upon rereading he's kind of annoying and rude, I can still see why I was into it.
Does my 5-star rating mean this book is a literary masterpiece? I mean, no, but that's not what anybody should be expecting when they read this.
Shockingly enough, this book actually made me laugh years later, despite being an adult and for that maybe it's an automatic 5, but I will not be stopping there! I really liked how despite the fact that Liza and Eddie have literally opposite personalities, they paired up to deal with the issue at hand before anyone else in the friend group was on board. The pacing was good, the build-up was good, and it's just an overall good reading experience.
As a side note, I had the biggest crush on Eddie when I was a little tyke, and even though upon rereading he's kind of annoying and rude, I can still see why I was into it.
Does my 5-star rating mean this book is a literary masterpiece? I mean, no, but that's not what anybody should be expecting when they read this.
December 12, 2023
A good book, but definitely not the best in the series. I think my biggest complaint was that the "monster" was wrapped up too easily at the end. While most of the books leave you wondering if the teacher really is a vampire or the janitor really is Santa, this one solved the mystery. The skeleton is not playing the tuba, it was just the principal. A nice conclusion for the average book, but readers of this series are generally looking for that "I wonder" ending, and this one does not provide one. Plus, I was a little disappointed that the titular skeleton was an actual skeleton and not the gaunt music teacher. That would have been more fun, I think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2023
Still wondering if Claude was alive. Hahaha.
Interesting that the focus wasn’t on the band teacher this time around.
Okay storyline if anything. Weird that the
Interesting that the focus wasn’t on the band teacher this time around.
Okay storyline if anything. Weird that the
October 27, 2019
Good. I like how we get closure in this book because a lot of the other books in the series don't do that.
December 14, 2020
2nd graders liked this one. Quick read for Halloween.
February 20, 2024
This was a fun one!
Read
June 4, 2024I devoured these books as a kid. Oh to return to the good ol� days of chapter books and Scholastic Book Fairs. 🥲
February 19, 2025
I out loud laughed at this one. Claude the skeleton made me giggle. The kids were fun in this one. The drama was drama-ing haha!
November 29, 2021
My rating of this is from the perspective of re-reading it as an adult. I do believe kids will enjoy these books a lot more than I do and if I were rating this when I was younger the rating would be higher. This particular book I enjoyed a little less than some of the others mostly because of how it ends.
The main theme of the series is the question and debate among the children over whether the adult in question really is a monster. The books I liked better were the ones with more of a sense of danger and where the reality of the monster was more plausible. just for example a story about a skeleton coming to life would be interesting, a story about kids being afraid of an inanimate skeleton is not as interesting.
The main theme of the series is the question and debate among the children over whether the adult in question really is a monster. The books I liked better were the ones with more of a sense of danger and where the reality of the monster was more plausible. just for example a story about a skeleton coming to life would be interesting, a story about kids being afraid of an inanimate skeleton is not as interesting.
January 16, 2024
This gives Wayside school mixed with the Teacher from the Black Lagoon vibes and I love it.
August 8, 2023
This is a story where a bunch of school kids see a weird bald man in a scarf hanging out in the graveyard and their conclusion isn't "wow look at the Liberal Arts Major being a hipster and posing in front of gravestones for The Aesthetic" but rather "this is a necromancer and he will perform necromancy on us". Which, you know what, fair.
The Bailey School Kids are a series of multichapter children's books where a bunch of skeptical children suspect that an adult in their community is secretly a mythological monster because every adult in this town looks like a mythological monster. The writing absolutely nails both how children's minds work (the teachers are clearly using sarcasm and it just flies over their heads) and how mean they can be from the way they tease each other, and the structure teaches learning readers the basic structure of a mystery. There's clues, red herrings, and a decent pay off.
My one complaint is that the kids break into the school after dark to figure out The Mystery of the Skeleton, the principal catches them after they snoop around some abandoned classrooms, and then the principal's only reaction is like "haha you wacky kids don't do that again 8)". Ah, the 90's...
HIGHLIGHTS
*The various skeleton illustrations. Best part of the book.
*The kids use the phrase "living skeletons" more than once.
*At one point, the principal casually mentions that the school is so crowded that the band class has to take place in a storage closet to a bunch of children. You know, just real casual about a serious problem that still plagues public education.
*A skeleton somehow winks. With what, they never say.
BEST LINES
It was large. It was white. It was a skeleton!
Instead of one bald head behind Liza, there were two.
Eddie slapped his forehead. "Great! I'm supposed to protect myself from a killer skeleton with a piece of twine! What am I going to do? Floss his knuckles?"
The Bailey School Kids are a series of multichapter children's books where a bunch of skeptical children suspect that an adult in their community is secretly a mythological monster because every adult in this town looks like a mythological monster. The writing absolutely nails both how children's minds work (the teachers are clearly using sarcasm and it just flies over their heads) and how mean they can be from the way they tease each other, and the structure teaches learning readers the basic structure of a mystery. There's clues, red herrings, and a decent pay off.
My one complaint is that the kids break into the school after dark to figure out The Mystery of the Skeleton, the principal catches them after they snoop around some abandoned classrooms, and then the principal's only reaction is like "haha you wacky kids don't do that again 8)". Ah, the 90's...
HIGHLIGHTS
*The various skeleton illustrations. Best part of the book.
*The kids use the phrase "living skeletons" more than once.
*At one point, the principal casually mentions that the school is so crowded that the band class has to take place in a storage closet to a bunch of children. You know, just real casual about a serious problem that still plagues public education.
*A skeleton somehow winks. With what, they never say.
BEST LINES
It was large. It was white. It was a skeleton!
Instead of one bald head behind Liza, there were two.
Eddie slapped his forehead. "Great! I'm supposed to protect myself from a killer skeleton with a piece of twine! What am I going to do? Floss his knuckles?"
December 18, 2012
This is the 11th book in series by , and . This story centers on a new band teacher helping the kids prepare for a band concert.
We've read several books in this series and our girls like them. We are skipping around the series, but it doesn't seem to matter much. We will certainly read more as we come across them, although I prefer our girls to read them independently. They are quick, entertaining reads and aren't scary.
We've read several books in this series and our girls like them. We are skipping around the series, but it doesn't seem to matter much. We will certainly read more as we come across them, although I prefer our girls to read them independently. They are quick, entertaining reads and aren't scary.
July 15, 2014
The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.
April 24, 2015
The kids get a new music teacher, Mrs. Belgrave, who they suspect is teaching skeletons how to dance and play the tuba. The novel’s story goes from innocent to strange to rather creepy. For some reason, Belgrave teaches his lessons in a storage closet, which is home to the infamous skeleton.
Another fun tale, with no real explanation as to whether things really are supernatural or just a product of the kids� imaginations.
Another fun tale, with no real explanation as to whether things really are supernatural or just a product of the kids� imaginations.
November 22, 2010
This book was really good. It is about the Baily School Kids getting a new Band Teacher. His name is Mr. Belgrave. But when they go to the band room its in a closet. Plus there is a skelaton playing the tuba. The skelatons name is Claude. They children are really freaked out and dont know if its real or not. But they always thought something was different about Mr. Belgrave.
July 29, 2011
The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school
January 27, 2012
Mr.Bellgrave is a band teacher.He has a skeleton in his room and everone thinks it's alive and playing a tuba.When they had a band thing there was going to be a surprise person there,they figured out it was there princapal.Auryn 7yo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2012
I think you would like this book because it is about 4 kids that go in a music class and liza is looking at the skeietoo bahide her and my fabrit part is when they foud out that the music trecher is a skeletonon-Taliya
June 30, 2016
First book I read (and finished) that was not mostly illustrations. My first 'chapter book'.
I stayed up all night reading through it, past my bedtime too.
I haven't read it again since, but for an eight year old, it was a good place to start. I was a late bloomer.
I stayed up all night reading through it, past my bedtime too.
I haven't read it again since, but for an eight year old, it was a good place to start. I was a late bloomer.
December 12, 2008
i don't know how skeletions can stand but whatever
January 15, 2009
funny/scary
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