From the book:
"Listen!"
cried Sidney "Butterfingers" Rampulsky indignantly across the lunch
table. "Everyone drops a clock now and then!"
"But
you dropped my clock!" protested Larry Wilson, his new
roommate. "And you broke it!"
"Well,
I cut my finger on the glass," protested Sidney. "Don't I get any
sympathy for that?" He held up a bandaged finger to support his
claim.
"No,"
said Larry, sourly. "If Macdonald Hall didn't have to keep a klutz
like you in bandages it wouldn't be in such a pickle now."
"That
pickle," Bruno Walton cut in, "is what we're here to discuss."
"They
cut out pickles five weeks ago," sighed Wilbur Hackenschleimer.
"I
thought we were here to eat." Boots looked with distaste at a dainty
cucumber sandwich. "But I guess I was wrong about that."
Ignoring
them, Bruno got up and surveyed the table. Larry and Sidney were
still glaring at each other. Big Wilbur Hackenschleimer sat dreaming
of a triple-decker hamburger with the works. Pete Anderson, who was
now rooming with Wilbur, Elmer Drimsdale, Boots and himself made up
the rest of the committee.
"Macdonald
Hall is in trouble," Bruno announced dramatically, "and the
responsibility of saving it lies with us, the Macdonald Hall
Preservation Society."
The
boys looked at him uneasily -- Bruno's causes were notorious.
"I'm
having enough trouble saving myself," said Wilbur. "Besides the fact
that they're not feeding us, what's wrong with Macdonald Hall?"
"I'll
tell you what's wrong," exclaimed Bruno. "It's going down the tube!
They may even put it up for sale."
"That's
ridiculous," snapped Pete. "The Fish would never allow it!"
"The
Fish is only Headmaster," Bruno reminded him. "He doesn't own the
place; he just works here. He's a victim, like the rest of us."
"I
don't believe it," said Sidney, flatly.
"Believe
it," said Larry. "I'm the Fish's messenger. I'm around to hear what
goes on in his office, and it's true!"
"What
do you think all these economy measures are for?" added Boots.
"That's
right," agreed Bruno. "It's a bad situation, and we've --"
The
salt shaker in Elmer's hand slipped from his fingers and clattered to
the table. He raised astounded, owl-like eyes to Bruno. "Do you mean
that Macdonald Hall is going bankrupt?"
"We
just finished saying that, Elmer," said Bruno, patiently. Although
Elmer was the school's genius, he was not known for his quick grasp
of everyday matters. "Pay attention. This is very important if we're
going to save the school."
Copyright © 1980 Gordon Korman, used by permission
School shop expert and eating machine Wilbur Hackenschleimer is unhappy that Macdonald Hall has cut out his evening snack, and science nerd Elmer Drimsdale is disgusted by the damaged science equipment that isn't being replaced, but when Bruno Walton and Boots O' Neal learn that the Hall is going broke, they are determined to save their school.
But enrollment is down, costs are through the roof, and there seems to be little the students can do to save the embattled Canadian boarding school. Enter Bruno Walton's publicity campaign ... He is convinced that if Macdonald Hall can get enough publicity, parents will rush to enroll their children.
World records, scientific advancements, radical health cures -- no matter how good his ideas seem to be, Bruno racks up one spectacular failure after another. The Fish (Headmaster Sturgeon) is down on him, Miss Scrimmage is angry with him, and even some of the students are starting to turn. Rumor has it a land developer is trying to sell the school land right out from under him.
But when one of Elmer's brilliant inventions and a brightly coloured diagram of the Pacific salmon lead rival law enforcement agencies to the Hall, searching for a ruthless master criminal, you have to wonder. Is this the end of Macdonald Hall? Has Bruno Walton gone too far this time?