Having spent time volunteering in schools and with primary aged children myself, the title of this book made me smile.

I really wanted to like this book more. I think, though, I'm just the wrong audience. As a teacher or teaching assistant I'm sure there's a lot of relatable stuff and I know the Mr P's podcast is hugely popular with teacher friends. However, as a casual reader I found it a little hard going.

I admit I did skim read bits so I could get an overall sense of the book, however it wasn't enough to grab by attention and want to give it my full undivided (and limited) reading time.

I would have chosen not to rate the book as I think it would be unfair (but Netgalley doesn't allow me to submit the review unless I submit a star rating). I think there is a lot of good and of merit in this book, but it just didn't work for me.

I came to this book with no foreknowledge of the Brothers Parkinson, merely enticed by the cover. I am so pleased that I was. It is a well-written piece, blending political (small "p") observation with humour and knowledge, both entertaining and thought provoking. The use of differing fonts highlights which brother is commenting, although the text content makes it pretty obvious as well.

Teaching has risen as a profession through the pandemic and any parent or anyone with an interest in education will learn from this book. Lee Parkinson's honesty comes through (being miffed by people "borrowing" his IP, but trying to see it as a compliment and his generous acknowledge of the part played in his career by his mentor and wife add to the engagement that this reader experienced.

Bith thought provoking and humorous, but well-balanced A treat to read, that has also drawn me to the podcasts.

Loved this book!
Laugh out loud moments and so true - even though I’m in a secondary school most of it still applies!
Brilliant!

First up thank you for allowing me to read this book, sadly we didn't click.
After 10% I was just bored out of my head, the writing style just wasn't for me, plus given the title/blurb I had expected anecdotes and stories from them teaching. Instead for 10% it was about their lives and their careers and sorry I don't care. I thought this would be like Meester Mark or other books about teaching. Who talk about education but in a funny and interesting way with plenty of anecdotes.

I really wanted to love this…. I follow the authors’ social media accounts and always find the memes hilarious and relatable. I just feel the tales should perhaps have remained as social media anecdotes. Having read other reviews of this book, it seems others loved the book so who am I to argue? I was perhaps expecting something more literary and just got “a bit of a chat.” Don’t let that put you off.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in return for an honest review.

Quite an interesting peek into primary school life for teachers and TAs, but a little bit too self indulgent at times. Would compare it to Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt, in many ways, but that book had a more rigorous approach that tied anecdotes back into analysis (and proposed solutions), which this lacks.

It’s a while since I was a classroom teacher but this took me right back.I found myself agreeing with so much of it, as well as laughing out loud at some of the topics it covered.It made me feel quite nostalgic about my years as a primary class teacher,and that’s saying something!
There are two different people writing,using different fonts to differentiate them ,and the tone is mostly quite lighthearted and humorous ,but there are some serious points made about the stresses of teaching and the huge demands made by government initiatives. The authors teach in England so some of the points made about the system are not relevant to the rest of the UK ;I taught in Scotland which has a different system ,but the same demands are made on teachers wherever they work.
I think this would be a good read for any primary teacher ,or anyone involved or interested in primary education,and the title is a stroke of genius!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Fabulously funny, very relatable book for any teacher/teaching assistant. A great easy read that you can dip in and dip out of.
Really enjoyed it.

Everybody has memories of their primary school from friendships made to lessons learned, but how much do you really know about what goes on inside the building? Brothers Lee and Adam Parkinson (a teacher and a teaching assistant respectively) open the doors to reveal what life is really like for a primary school teacher, highlighting the funny moments and also the downsides of life working with the younger generation.

If you are unfamiliar with the two Mr Ps, they are known for their hugely popular podcast, Two Mr Ps in a Pod(cast), and also for their posts on social media. I suppose you could describe this book as an extension of the podcast and you can definitely hear the authors’ voices as you read. It is obvious how much the authors love their jobs, their positivity shining throughout. It is written in quite an informal way, making it an easy read and one which is accessible to all, regardless of whether they have a professional interest or not.

As someone who is in the trade, so to speak, I spent most of this book with a smile and a knowing look on my face. Any one who works in a primary school will be able to recognise their place of work as they are reading, showing how similar schools actually are. From the staffroom to school productions, children to educational visits, so much resonated with me and I could certainly identify with many of the stories being told!

The ongoing Covid pandemic has highlighted to many just how hard a job teaching can be with lots of parents gaining a new appreciation of teachers due to them having to undertake home learning during lockdowns. It was pleasing, therefore, to see the downsides of the job also being discussed, the role of the government featuring prominently. I applaud the two Mr Ps for saying what most teachers would agree with.

This is a humorous read and if you’ve ever wanted to know what really goes on in a primary school, I heartily recommend it.

This book was funny. It was a bit of a biography, but also had many funny tales about school life. If you have children, work in school or live with someone who works in a school, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Cards on the table - this is my first 'semi-professional review' of a book, so please be kind with any comments 🙈

Having read quite a few in-depth knowledge, I was looking for a bit of 'light relief', I'm a huge fan of the 'behind the scenes' stories, be it from a A Prison Doctor, someone who works on a Cruise ship or a police officer so thought why not read what the education system is like from the view of 'Sir' or 'Miss'?

The nostalgic trip down memory lane is something that anyone regardless of whether they were a good of bad child can take a huge amount of enjoyment from. It contains several laugh out loud moments, and (if COVID-19 didn’t already make you do this) appreciate the huge amount of work they put in, when the odds are stacked against them.

A highly recommended read!

I had debated quite a while whether or not this would be worthy of a full five-stars. Sadly as my other reviews will attest to, I'm quite a harsh marker.

The main area for improvement would be that the two brothers 'voices' really didn’t work for me. I appreciate they have a hugely successful podcast, however they shouldn’t have copied someone else's homework in this instance - writing it as if it were spoken often left me confused as to who was saying what (compounded as they are both called Mr P!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can't say I have ever heard of this pair as I don't do podcasts but I think they would come across better in that format than it did in the book. Some stuff was interesting but most sounded like 2 (grown up) kids telling their former classmates what goes on behind closed doors.

Thoroughly enjoyable, completely relatable, humourous and heck- wet paper towels are still employed in schools round here 40 years after I first was treated with one so still of its time!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A relatively humorous account on the lives of sibling teachers, including their own school days. My main issue with this is the format; apparently they have the biggest teacher podcast in the UK (as they tell us many times throughout the book) and as co-authors they've stuck with the podcast style. Two different fonts to differentiate who is "talking".

Near the end of the book they go over some of the annoying habits of teachers, and annoying things they have to deal with; you'd think they'd heed their own advice. Acronyms are used throughout, maybe on the thinking that the book is aimed at teachers (I'm a parent, and someone who helps in the school when possible, and also a Beaver and Cub Scout leader) but for the layman it could be a tad confusing.

At the end of the day it's a good, fun insight into what Teachers and Teaching Assistants have to go through, calling out the school crazes, the teaching weirdos, and the obnoxious parents. It's worth a read, although not as laugh out loud as one might expect.

I started this book with alacrity, having seen some of the videos on Facebook etc however the whole style of the book didn't work for me. I thought it was going to be like the hilarious 'This is going to hurt' by Adam Kay, but with school anecdotes rather than hospital ones - which I would love as I have worked in a Primary School for 18 years. This is very muddled with the two brothers 'voices' in different fonts, it was still hard to see who was who, and they seemed to be always interrupting eachother. I think the style is more suited to the Podcasts they keep mentioning, or an audio book, but not to written prose. There was also a lot of negative references to Ofsted, Government, SLT etc which whilst I don't disagree with some of it, I don't really want to read about in a novel in my free time. I think it could be brilliant if it was better edited, and concentrated on amusing anecdotes we could all relate to.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4227485587

Fans of Let That Be A Lesson by Ryan Wilson will enjoy this read, as well as anyone who went to primary school in the UK or has worked/currently works at a primary school. Parts of it were nostalgic, and other parts gave a realistic, genuine picture for what pressures primary school teachers currently face. The dynamic between the two authors was great and their writing style is humorous and insightful.

This was a light easy read, a bit of school nostalgia with some behind the scenes insight of a primary school teachers life.

Firstly, that title! As a former primary schoool teacher, and someone who also attended a primary school, I LOVE the title. The magical quality of wet paper towels should be screamed from the rooftops!
This should be said too- this book doesn't need to be read just by people working in schools now, it can be read by anyone who fancies a trip down memory lane. Oh, the nostalgia of the wooden benches in assemblies, being chosen as the monitor to turn over the slides on the overhead projector... The list goes on and I laughed out loud A LOT.
Having said that, at some points, I did feel the humour of the book felt a little forced and did irritate me, because it felt unnecessary to me. The little anecdotes and little stories about the varying characters in the staffroom, and things the children say, are HILARIOUS amd propel the book into pure enjoyment!
Some readers may struggle with the educational rant at the government chapter, but from my experience, this needs to be said! The pressures on teachers is astronomical and stops them from doing what they are good at and trained for- teaching!
Such an enjoyable book!

A must read for any teacher/TA or anyone really who works/has worked in a primary school. It’s like going to a comedy show, think Michael McIntyre. All the funniest bits are everything you already know, they happen every day, in every school but it’s just funny seeing/reading it being played out and knowing the inside jokes, secret eye rolls and secret stash of sweets and chocolate!!
This is not only for school staff though, I’m a parent helper, I have many teacher friends and my sister-in-law is also a lovely KS1 teacher so I’ve heard plenty of inside gossip which made the book quite interesting looking at situations from both sides of the playground gates.
The one thing I wasn’t expecting was the politics of teaching, which I’m sure is a lot more relevant to readers who are teachers themselves who will no doubt agree, sympathise and will have plenty more opinions on the matter. I hate that you guys go through this and our kids are suffering because of idiots in suits that haven’t stepped foot in a school for 20+ years. Ofsted info was rather enlightening too, so thank you!!
I will most certainly be recommending this to my teacher friends and family!!
I wish all teachers brought the same passion as you as guys, all schools would be a much better place and our kids would have a great start in life x

Like many reviewers, I had high expectations of this book, largely because of the publisher's blurb. I have to agree with some of the reviewers that it left me a little cold. The writers' experiences felt authentic enough ( as a former teacher I recognised many of the scenarios). But I didn't find the book that funny. Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC.