The Fourth Stall Part III (Fourth Stall, 3)
The Fourth Stall Part III (Fourth Stall, 3) book cover

The Fourth Stall Part III (Fourth Stall, 3)

Hardcover – February 5, 2013

Price
$14.15
Format
Hardcover
Pages
304
Publisher
Walden Pond Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062120052
Dimensions
1.03 x 5.86 x 8.34 inches
Weight
13.5 ounces

Description

From Booklist In this continuation of the Fourth Stall series, Mac and Vince are now in seventh grade and have shut down their advisory business. But then they get an offer they can’t refuse and make the mistake of “selling” the business to a punky classmate. After a remorseful old nemesis enters the scene, Mac and Vince try to help his nemesis’s little sister—who turns out to be running an advisory business of her own at another school. Rylander keeps up the delightful, boycentric beat, mixing bravado, embarrassments, and wisecracks with real wisdom. Grades 4-6. --Francisca Goldsmith Readers will be flushed with excitement to follow Mac’s operations from the fourth stall. — Kirkus Reviews, about THE FOURTH STALL PART II Rylander uses the slow build to set the noir feel of the novel, creating an antihero protagonist who is hard not to like and respect. Fans…will not be disappointed. — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), about THE FOURTH STALL PART II Mac narrates the…tale with the arch flatness of a 1940s satire of the noir detective genre.…Excellent. — ALA Booklist, about THE FOURTH STALL Rylander mines a substantial amount of humor and heart from this combination hard-boiled crime novel and middle-grade character piece. A light and enjoyable caper. — Publishers Weekly, about THE FOURTH STALL Do yourself a favor. Read it. Now. — Jon Scieszka, about THE FOURTH STALL Their business is finished, and Mac's and Vince's lives have become something they have never been before: simple. None of the fortune or the glory, none of the risk or the threat of juvenile prison. There's even a new business that has stepped in to take their place (and take the heat off Mac and Vince for once). Things couldn't be better. But that was before things at their middle school started to go haywire. Before they found out that there's a new crime boss at a school another town over trying to consolidate power. And before their old nemesis, Staples, came back to town begging for help after his stint in the clink. Just when Mac and Vince thought they were out, the business pulls them back in. But this time, will they be able to escape with their lives and their permanent records intact? Chris Rylander is the author of the Fourth Stall saga and the Epic Series of Failures trilogy, as well as Codename Zero and its sequels. A fan of baseball, statistics, and baseball statistics, he lives with his family in Chicago. You can visit him online at www.chrisrylander.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • The story of Mac, Vince, and middle-school organized crime comes to its thrilling conclusion in the third book of Chris Rylander’s Fourth Stall saga, a series that combines a
  • Godfather
  • -like tale of crime and betrayal with hilarious school comedy à la Jack Gantos.
  • Their business is finished, and Mac’s and Vince’s lives have become something they have never been before—simple. None of the fortune or the glory, none of the risk or the threat of juvenile prison. There’s even a new business that has stepped in to take its place (and take the heat off Mac and Vince for once). Things couldn’t be better.
  • But that was before things at their middle school started to go haywire. Before they found out that there’s a new crime boss at a school another town over trying to consolidate power. And before their old nemesis, Staples, came back to town begging for help after his stint in the clink. Just when Mac and Vince thought they were out, the business pulls them back in. But this time, will they be able to escape with their lives and their permanent records intact?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(314)
★★★★
25%
(131)
★★★
15%
(78)
★★
7%
(37)
-7%
(-37)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Another solid book in this wonderful series!

You can read a guest post the author did on my blog here: [...]

Mac and Vince are trying to live a simple, uncomplicated life now that their business is closed. But you know what they say- you can't ever really leave. Being pulled back into business, a new nemesis from another school, and Mac and Vince are in way over their heads. And it's not just them who are in trouble. Their entire school has a target on it and the only way to save everyone is by banding together once and for all.

Filled with humor, crazy jokes and a lively cast of characters, The Fourth Stall Part III is a seriously fun ending. Mac and Vince are still stuck like glue- best friends till the end. And when their enemy Staples, from Book One, appears asking them for help, a strange camaraderie ensues, but is it real? Or does Staples have a hidden agenda?

The plot keeps you guessing again and again, leaving you running after Mac and Vince, rooting for them the whole time. Mac's voice, his observations and narration, are my favorite part, but following closely behind is good ol' Vince and his grandmother's ramblings. Even the secondary characters, and acquaintances, have clever nicknames, odd personalities and funny quirks. (At the moment, the new kid Matches, is probably my favorite. Yes, his nickname is Matches. Guess what he likes to do.)

It's such a great book and a fantastic series.
A sure hit with any middle grade reader, or, ehem, older reader like me.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Copy is good except for residue left by stickers on the dust ...

Copy is good except for residue left by stickers on the dust cover. I hate when this is the case. Many sellers are considerate and use easy-to-peel stickers.
✓ Verified Purchase

Better than the first?!

I believe this book is better than the first. It is way more gripping and action packed, and has a very emotional ending. Also i pre-ordered paperback, and I think I have the second copy ever made of it, because it says not for purchase, and on the binding it says 2/13.
✓ Verified Purchase

Great characters!

Great book. Nothing can beat the first book but the students love to see what kind of trouble Mac can find.
✓ Verified Purchase

My son loves this series

Son is 11 years old and reading the latest installment in the Fourth Stall series, I got a daily update on our walk home detailing everything he had read in the book until we got to "Mom there are plot twists that I just cannot tell you about." So I am reading it now. Terrific fun read - highly recommend it for this age group!
✓ Verified Purchase

Great Middle Grade Series...especially for boys!

I read the synopsis of The Fourth Stall an entire year before the first book came out, and I knew I had to have it. I had a feeling that kids, especially my sons, were going to love it. I was right!

For anyone who is new to this series, allow me to sum it up before heading into my review. Mac and Vince ran a business out of the fourth stall of the boys' bathroom in their elementary school - Mac was the front man, Vince was the numbers guy. They did favors for kids: test answers, M-rated video games, hall passes, and help with bullies. It was a good business, and they made a decent amount of money for their Chicago Cubs World Series fund. Up until this point, they have had to deal with rival bullies, girls, and corrupt school administration. Unfortunately, at the opening of Part III, we see a retired Mac and Vince.

"You can't ever truly get out."

Mac and Vince had closed up shop and were looking forward to the simple life of school, baseball and video games. Another businessman even takes over their abandoned post, cutting them in on the action a little without any of the risk. You know what they say about when something is too good to be true! Another elementary school has a new crime boss running things over there, and wreaking havoc at their own. In addition to all of that, an old nemesis comes back looking for their help. Everything seems to be well under control at first, while Mac and Vince settle into their new life, but then everything is in danger of falling apart. It all begins when someone comes to Mac with the four words he can't resist: "I need your help."

There are twists, turns, and unexpected curve balls in the conclusion to The Fourth Stall trilogy. Chris Rylander balances a casual tone with a fast paced plot, keeping those pages turning quickly! The friendship between Mac and Vince is one that I really enjoyed reading. There is something so necessary about a best friend in school. Their exchanges often have me laughing out loud, especially when the usually quiet Vince quotes his elderly grandmother.

THE FOURTH STALL is exciting, imaginative, and hilarious, but most of all, it draws kids in. My 10 year old son can't wait to steal each one off my desk as soon as they come in (of course this leaves me frantically searching for the books when I realize I hadn't read it or written the review!).

A fun series from start to finish. If you have a reader between the ages of 8 and 12, especially boys, you must give them The Fourth Stall.
✓ Verified Purchase

disappointed

*SPOILERS*
Do NOT read on if you don't want the ending spoiled for you!
You Have Been Warned!

Everyone is entitled to their opinion...and I believe many fans may still love this book.
It still has good writing and the same humor and plot twists that we have come to love with this series, but....
I was just really disappointed in how things turned out for Mac.
For a character I had come to respect and love as smart and resourceful, it broke my heart to see how 3rd/4th graders schooled him and the other characters like Tyrell (I think I mispelled his name, I apologize in advance hehe)
It just didn't seem like the same Mac & I just like my happy endings....having Mac expelled, held back & his reputation/business ruined didn't satisfy me....it didn't seem right :(
I thought he could've done better, but that's just me :(