Jonsberg, Barry. The crimes and punishments of Miss Payne.

JONSBERG, Barry. The crimes and punishments of Miss Payne. Random House, Knopf. 257p. c2004. 0-375-83240-8. $15.95. S *

The 15-year-old protagonist of this novel, Calma Harrison, is a gifted writer. She also claims if there were an Olympic event for sarcasm, she would represent her country, which happens to be Australia. In the meantime, she and her best friend, the scruffy and unscrupulous Jaryd Kiffing (aka "Kiffo") are stuck in the classroom of the English teacher from hell after driving out all previous teachers with their antics. Not so fondly referred to as "the pit bull," Miss Payne has aroused their suspicions with furtive behavior. Calma and Kiffo, convinced that Miss Payne is a criminal, stalk her to bring her to justice by catching her in nefarious nighttime activities. This leads to many surprising and often hilarious plot turns and unexpected encounters between teacher and students before the plot turns abruptly tragic with a conclusion that Calma asserts is more natural, "considering all that's happened."

Written by a high school English teacher in Australia, this book is not for the fainthearted. Calma is, indeed, a mistress of sarcasm, and Kiffo's ethics, because of his impoverished and abusive background, leave much to be desired. The book's themes center on how attractiveness and money tend to win the day, leaving the ugly and the underprivileged out in the cold, but ultimately, the theme could be summed up as "nothing is what it seems," and friendships like Calma's and Kiffo's should be emulated more often. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, BYU, Provo, UT

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.