Rotten School Books In Order

Publication Order of Rotten School Books

Rotten School is a series of children’s books written by R.L. Stine. The novels follow the exploits of Bernie Bridges, a boy that is always making trouble for his boarding school.

+The Story

R.L. Stine came to fame when he wrote the Goosebumps novels. Goosebumps, though initially lackluster in its reception, eventually became a massive success that made Stine a global sensation.

Suffice it to say, many a young and adult reader still view R.L. Stine as the Stephen King of Children’s horror. So it was a bit of a surprise for fans when the author wrote and published the Rotten School series in 2005.

The books were a far cry from the horror genre for which the author was best known and even fans of Stine were a little hesitant to embrace them. The series eventually ended in 2008 with little fanfare, this as R.L. Stine relaunched the Goosebumps line of books.

But there are audiences that still remember Rotten School fondly, primarily individuals that where children in the early 2000s and, thus, were the perfect target audience for this series.

The Rotten School series takes place in a Private Boarding School called Rotten School. The institution was started by I.B. Rotten some one hundred years in the past. It has since garnered a reputation for its assortment of badly behaved pupils, or at least that is what R.L. Stine suggests when he first introduces the school to readers in ‘The Big Blueberry Barf-off’, the first book in the Rotten School series.

It soon becomes clear that Rotten School is no different from any other private institution and that people like Bernie—troublemakers—are the exception rather than the rule.

The first novel finds Bernie Bridges taking steps to relieve his nemesis of his expensive watch. Right off the bat, it is made clear that, even in a crowd of problematic students, Bernie stands out.

No one is quite as riotous as Bernie. The fourth-grader has the capacity to take any situation he encounters and reduce it to chaos. Bernie isn’t so destructive that his crimes would earn him a suspension, though.

The child more or less toes the line, and his actions would be better described as pranks. Most of Bernie’s misbehavior is driven by selfishness and Jealousy. For instance, when the protagonist decides to hold a pie eating contest in the first novel, it is with the intention of taking Sherman Oaks’ watch.

Sherman is Bernie’s classmate and a spoiled rich boy that he thoroughly hates. When Sherman begins showing off about his expensive watch, Bernie concocts a plan that will allow him to take Sherman’s watch without actually stealing it.

Bernie succeeds in taking the watch but he makes such a mess of things that he is forced to fork over the watch to make recompense.

The Rotten School series is an exploration of Bernie’s life as a fourth grader. The books are written with children in mind but they do not set out to teach valuable lessons.

Bernie isn’t a hero that should be emulated. He keeps getting into trouble and his actions are always motivated by negative emotions. He shows an uncanny ability to fool people into doing what he wants. He does this to both students and adults.

But the selfish nature of his schemes always leads him to failure. However, not every book pits Bernie and Sherman against one another. Though, that is definitely a central focus.

It is made clear from early on Bernie and Sherman’s hate for one another is mutual. Sherman thinks he’s better than Bernie. He takes great pleasure in flaunting his money, not to mention upending Bernie’s schemes.

On occasion, though, the focus shifts away from their enmity and highlights the struggles of Bernie’s friends. They include the Beast, a large fourth grader with a ferocious appetite, Jennifer Ecch, a large girl who likes Bernie, and Chipmunk, a shy fellow that loves to play the guitar.

Whenever they find themselves in a spot of trouble, Bernie does not hesitate to stick up for them.

Though, Bernie is often the cause of their troubles and typically acts to reverse the effects of his actions.
The Rotten School books have been praised for their witty prose and humorous storytelling. Fans also love the illustrations.

+The Author

R.L. Stine is an American author that writes books aimed at younger readers. His Goosebumps novels got him dabbed the Stephen King of Children’s literature. The author was only nine when he picked up the writing habit.

Born in 1943 in Columbus, Ohio, Stine has been globally recognized for the contribution he has made to children’s literacy. Many an adult will attest to picking up the reading habit because of his books.

+The Big Blueberry Barf-Off

Rotten School was started a century ago. When I.B. Rotten brought the institution to life, he probably never imagined that it would eventually host the likes of Bernie Bridges.

But now the kids and teachers of Rotten School have to deal with the troublemaker. Bernie has his sights set on Sherman Oaks. Sherman Oaks got on Bernie’s nerves when he came to school boasting an expensive watch with over forty functions.

So now Bernie wants that watch and he won’t be taking ‘No’ for an answer. In order to relieve Sherman of his prized possession, the naughty boy resorts to trickery. He talks Sherman into entering a pie eating contest. The winner gets the watch.

Sherman thinks he has Bernie beaten. He does not know that Bernie has a pie-eating aficionado in his class called the Beast.

+The Great Smelling Bee

Sherman Oaks and Bernie Bridges hate each other. Bernie hates Sherman because he’s rich and spoiled. Sherman hates Bernie because the fourth-grader keeps getting him into all sorts of trouble.

Bernie always thought he had the upper hand on Sherman. But now it looks like the tables have turned. Bernie has a dog in his room. The school doesn’t allow pets. Sherman knows this and he will take pleasure in busting Bernie and having his dog taken away.

Bernie cannot allow that to happen. But keeping a dog hidden on campus won’t be easy.