The Messiest Desk — Marty Kelley

Benjamin Putt has THE MESSIEST DESK in Mr.McPatrick's class, and probably in the entire world: Eight hundred spelling lists/ From weeks and months gone by/ Twelve gooey wads of chewed-up gum/ A cockroach , a spider, a fly. When Benjamin tries to clean up his desk, he is sucked inside. It takes all the ingenuity of the entire school, and one very brave student named Julie armed only with a plunger, to save Benjamin from a fate worse than death... This rhyming picture book is gross and funny and charming and maybe just a little bit scary all at the same time. But everything works out in the end--although our young protagonist might want to take a few baths after he is rescued.