Beware the Fish facts for kids
1980 paperback edition
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| Author | Gordon Korman |
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| Cover artist | Rodrigo Moreno Luis Borba Photo-Illustration by Yüksel Hassan 2004 version |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | Macdonald Hall Series |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Publisher | Scholastic Canada Ltd. |
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Publication date
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1980, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 160 (not including the preview at the end) |
| ISBN | 0-439-96901-8 |
| Preceded by | Go Jump in the Pool |
| Followed by | The War with Mr. Wizzle |
Beware The Fish! is an exciting adventure book by Gordon Korman. It's the third story in the popular Macdonald Hall Series. The book continues to follow the funny adventures of two main characters, Bruno Walton and Boots O'Neal. They are students at Macdonald Hall, a boarding school for boys.
This book, along with The Zucchini Warriors, is special because its title never changed. Many other books in the series got new names. Like all the books, Beware The Fish! was updated for new readers. It got fresh cover art and was rewritten to fit modern times. The original story was first published in 1980.
Contents
What Happens in the Story
Money Troubles at Macdonald Hall
Macdonald Hall is facing a big problem: they are running out of money! The Headmaster, Mr. William R. Sturgeon, is trying to save cash. Students call him "The Fish" because of his name. He starts making big changes to cut costs. For example, he lowers the heat in the dorms. He also removes all the yummy junk food from the cafeteria menu.
Bruno and Boots quickly notice these changes. They are even forced to move into Dormitory 2. This happens when Mr. Sturgeon closes the third dorm building. The boys realize they need to help the school. They decide to get Macdonald Hall lots of attention. This way, more students might want to enroll. More students mean more money for the school!
Elmer's Secret Broadcast
Elmer Drimsdale, another student, creates a strange machine. It looks like a broadcasting system. It has a lens and a microphone. Elmer points it at a picture of a Pacific king salmon. He tells Bruno and Boots that it can only broadcast inside the room. But Bruno uses it to let out his frustration. He pretends to be a secret agent. He narrates plans for an "evil fish organization." He never appears on camera, just his voice.
What Bruno and Elmer don't know is that the device is super powerful. It can broadcast up to 43 kilometers (about 27 miles) away! It even overpowers regular TV channels in that area. So, people all over town start seeing strange "fish conspiracy" broadcasts.
The Giant Tin Can Pyramid
Meanwhile, everyone at Macdonald Hall is trying to think of ways to get publicity. Someone comes up with a wild idea. They decide to break the world record for the largest tin can pyramid!
Almost all the students sneak out at night. They go to nearby towns and villages. Their mission is to collect as many soda cans as possible. Bruno and Boots even travel all the way to Toronto. They hitch a ride back on a school bus. The bus is taking girls from Ms. Scrimmage's Finishing School For Young Ladies back home. This girls' school is right across from Macdonald Hall.
Undercover Agents Investigate
During this time, two secret agents are staying in a hotel. They are in the town of Chutney. One agent is from the RCMP. The other is from the OPP. They are both investigating the strange "fish conspiracy" broadcasts. People have been complaining about seeing them on their TVs.
At first, each agent thinks the other is "The Fish." They believe the other agent is the leader of the evil organization. But soon, they figure out where the broadcasts are coming from. They trace them right back to Macdonald Hall!
The Can Collection is Discovered
One night, Ms. Scrimmage catches the boys trespassing. She finds them on her school's property. Mr. Sturgeon is also there. Ms. Scrimmage accidentally discovers all the collected cans. The boys had stored them in the empty Dormitory Three. The Macdonald Hall boys had been getting cans from the girls too.
Mr. Sturgeon suspects Bruno and Boots are behind it all. But just before they can explain, Cathy Burton saves them. She is a friend from Ms. Scrimmage's school. Cathy tells Mr. Sturgeon that the cans are her personal collection. So, the cans are moved to Ms. Scrimmage's school. Mr. Sturgeon doesn't argue. He is happy that Ms. Scrimmage will have to deal with the huge pile of cans herself.
The Big Finale
In the exciting end, the police surround Macdonald Hall. They set up a barricade. They believe Mr. Sturgeon is "The Fish." This is because of his last name and the nickname the students gave him. All the students from both schools come out to watch.
Everything is finally revealed. Bruno admits that Elmer's device caused the broadcasts. He explains he didn't know it was so powerful. The police attention brings lots of reporters. They arrive to capture "The Fish." This huge amount of press creates massive publicity for Macdonald Hall. The school gets exactly what it needed!
A record number of students enroll for the next year. This solves all of Macdonald Hall's money problems. In the end, Ms. Scrimmage's school wins the world record. They build the largest tin can pyramid. This makes Bruno very annoyed!
Macdonald Hall is said to be located along Highway 48. It is seven miles south of a made-up town called Chutney, Ontario. Chutney has a population of 3,100 people.
