MacDonald Hall Books In Order

Publication Order of Macdonald Hall Books

Author Gordon Korman is a well-known name in the field of novels written for young adults. MacDonald Hall is a popular series that have kept young readers hooked and suitably engaged with its amazing plots. Earlier, this series was referred to as Bruno and Boots. The novel series is set in a boys’ Canadian boarding school, MacDonald Hall. Located along Highway 48, near Toronto, the school strength was 700 students.

Melvin “Boots” O’Neal and Bruno Walton are the main characters of this novel. The boys of the school are reputed for their pranks and mischief. Despite being naughty and indulging in a lot of trouble making, the students were deeply loyal towards their school.

William R. Sturgeon, the headmaster of the school, try hard to keep his students in the discipline. He has been nicknamed as the Fish by his students because of his fish like look when he looks at his students glaringly. His authoritative image among the students can be misleading as he is very caring towards the children. His wife is equally caring and loving towards the children. She offers milk and cookies to Boots and Bruno whenever they happen to come by, and she is comparatively less strict than her husband. On many occasions, she even saved the kids when they were caught in their pranks.

There is another school for young ladies just across the school. The young ladies of Miss Scrimmage’s Finishing School are even more rambunctious than the MacDonald Hall’s boys. They are highly fun loving girls. The headmistress owned a shotgun which was used by her occasionally to threaten peace disturbing elements. But like many others she had very little control over her shotgun as a result of which she accidentally shot in random directions. When she came across any boys on the school premises or property, she always used her shotgun.

Many times both the schools came together. For instance, The War with Mr. Wizzle. Mr. Wizzle was the new assistance principal of Mr. Sturgeon. He had very firm notions about dividing the MacDonald Hall students into set categories. At the same time, Miss Scrimmage also hired a new assistant who was a drill instructor earlier. The two schools decided to join hands for sending this new staff away before a positive decision is taken by the school for giving them a place in the school.

There are many books in the Series. Some of them are-

1. This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall

This was a book that came in the year 1978 and was first in the long series of books. In this book, the school along with his boys were introduced. At this time, Korman was in Grade 7th. After three episodes of mischiefs and pranks when playing a hockey match against York Academy, their arch rivals, Boots and Bruno were forced to separate as roommates. The boys later come up with a scheme to convince the headmaster, Mr. Sturgeon, to allow them to stay together.

2. Go Jump in the Pool

This book was released in the year 1979. The book narrates a story about York Academy having a pool while there was no pool at Macdonald Hall. Earlier, this was never bothersome for the boys of Macdonald Hall but when some boys reported that their boys were considering shifting them to York Academy because of the better sports opportunities provided by them, the students decided to do something to get a better pool in their school.

3. Beware the Fish

This book talks about an unsurmountable challenge faced by the school. The only way the school can be saved from closing is to make people aware of the greatness of the school. Bruno decides to make the school well-known all over Canada. While engaged in this scheme, Bruno gets involved in a police investigation in the activities of “The Fish”.

Popular Characters in The Series

The students of Macdonald Hall

1. Melvin “Boots” O’Neal- Also referred to as the right-hand man of Bruno another character of the series. He is the voice of Bruno who always speaks in a logical and reasoning tone and also asserts control on their mischiefs of the duo. He loved swimming. He passionately disliked his younger brother, Edward.

2. Bruno Walton- Bruno was a leader and a prankster. He always had some schemes to try. He was totally honest and whenever asked about his participation in any scheme by the Headmaster; he was always upfront about it.

3. George Wexford-Smyth III – He was an expert in financial management and was completely obsessed with the ups and downs of the stock market. In his bathroom, a lot of medicines could be found. Every second day, he used to sanitize his room, along with its walls and ceilings to stay away from any illness. He is not liked very much by his peers, but when it comes to raising money for buying a pool, he proved to be quite useful.

4. Elmer Drimsdale- Considered as the scientific expert of the gang, he was a school genius. He seldom broke any school rules. He never even dared to step out from Scrimmage after school hours. He was always focused on his scientific experiments and was socially awkward. Boots and Bruno considered him as their friend.

5. Wilbur Hackenschleimer – He is a hefty boy who is fond of food and enjoys a voracious appetite. He always participated in the hair-brained schemes of Bruno. He plays football and is an amateur weightlifter. He also enjoyed working with metal and wood work.

6. Sidney Rampulsky – Known for his clumsy manner, he became all the more uneasy when Bruno Walton is around. Whenever any damage happened in the Hall, he is always in the forefront.

This series is keeping the younger generation engaged and hooked in the twisting and turning plots. The young heroes of the Series have become an idol and heroes for many from their own age group. The Macdonald Hall stories are eagerly awaited by many. People reading these series can relate to the characters and enjoy the fun of good, olden days of school time when everything was simple and uncomplicated.