"I ran into Dad as I was coming out of my room. 'Hey, Logan,' he said, 'don't forget we have some yard work to finish this weekend.'

'Is there a lot mower to do?" I asked.

'Yeah,' Dad said, giving me a funny look, 'there's a lot more to do. We need to put that fence around the tomatoes.'

'Right. Weed need to be garden them from the rabbits.'

Dad groaned and shook his head.

'What's wrong?' I asked.  I was getting tired of all the groaning.  Benedict had groaned at me.  So had Mrs. Tanaka.  Mom had groaned, and now Dad was groaning too.

'Nothing,' Dad said.  'I guess I was just as silly when I was your age.'"

But for Logan, it's not silliness -- it's PUNishment.  He literally ran into an old man in the reference basement of the library, and after the old man blew some dust off of a book into Logan's face, everything that came out of his mouth was a pun!  David Lubar's engaging story about a boy doomed to learn about word play follows the classic fairy tale model of a quest involving three challenges, with a twist: Logan must find seven oxymorons, seven anagrams, and seven palindromes, or his punishment of being punny will last forever.

A male protagonist, some magic, a quest, and word play -- this book is a natural fit for classrooms everywhere, about second to fourth or fifth grade (or homeschooling activities).  It's a fun way to look at basic literary devices, and translates easily into classroom projects that mimic Logan's search.  The story moves quickly, has a nice secondary plot with Logan's friend Benedict, and is humorous, but always stays focused on the primary goal, which makes Punished! a great pick for reluctant readers. 

And for those of you who went to Las Cruces High School, I spent half of the book wondering if Bob Wofford was really the author!