History Literature / MacdonaldHall

* TechnologyMarchesOn: ''The War With Mr. Wizzle'' was written in the early eighties, and as such the computer he introduces to the school is a monstrosity of a machine that has to be fed punch cards. The reprint updates this to the modern era, noting that the school would now be filled to the brim with computers. So Wizzle instead introduces software he's written to control the school.

* BigEater: Wilbur Hackenschleimer.

** OneGenderSchool: Macdonald Hall and Miss Scrimmage's respectively.

* [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin Can't Get Away With Nuthin']]: At the end of the day, no matter how beneficial their scheming turns out to be, Bruno and Boots usually get in trouble for it.

* DefrostingIceQueen: Miss Peabody.
* DistaffCounterpart: Cathy and Diane at Miss Scrimmage's, to Bruno and Boots.
* DrillSergeantNasty: again, Miss Peabody.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Boots, to everyone but George, who insists that "nicknames are vulgar".
* OnlySaneMan: Boots

* [[spoiler: ArrangedMarriage]]: The solution to ''The Wizzle War.''

* [[BlueBlood Blue Blood]]: While not exactly royalty, George Wexford-Smyth III definitely comes off as this.

* [[ChekhovsGunman Chekhov's Gunman]]: George Wexford-Smyth III plays a somewhat important rule in the first book, but only appears in the second to comment on how 'vulgar' their events are (not knowing what is going on) [[spoiler: He manages to invest all the money Bruno and Boots made beforehand into Lorelei Mining, giving them more than enough (around 2 million in the old copy of the book or around 65 thousand in the 2003 version) to build a pool.)]]

* LastNameBasis: It's customary for the MacDonald Hall teachers to address students by their last names.

Despite the similar sounding name, there's no connection between this and ''MacHall'' the webcomic.

* SignsOfDisrepair: In ''This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall!'', Miss Scrimmage accidentally shoots the sign outside her school that reads, "Miss Scrimmage's Finishing School for Young Ladies", changing the word "Finishing" to "Fishing".

A series of novels written by Creator/GordonKorman -- the first when he was a seventeen-year-old high-school English student --about Bruno and his best friend [[OnlySaneMan Boots]].

Bruno Walton and Melvin 'Boots' O'Neal are roommates at a prestigious boys' boarding school called Macdonald Hall, overseen by stern Headmaster Sturgeon (known affectionately as 'The Fish'). The books generally feature the completely irrepressible -- not to say irresponsible -- Bruno trying to achieve some goal via a series of increasingly crazy plans, often getting the entire student body involved by the time he's done. The equally excitable Cathy Burton and her fellow students across the road at Miss Scrimmage's Finishing School for Young Ladies frequently work themselves into the mix as well. More cautious Boots spends much of his time trying to keep his friends in check, but it rarely has much of an effect.

** However, people who have known Bruno for a long time aren't particularly roused by his speeches because they're so predictable. At the beginning of ''The War With Mr. Wizzle'', Boots and a few other students imagine how Bruno will react when he hears about the school's new dress code. Wilbur thinks he'll rant about how their world is crumbling around them, and Larry thinks he'll complain about the sanctity of Macdonald Hall being threatened. Sure enough, Bruno says both of these things when he finds about the dress code.

A series of novels written by Creator/GordonKorman -- the first when he was a seventeen-year-old high-school English student --about CrazyAwesome Bruno and his best friend [[OnlySaneMan Boots]].

** For a non-Wizzle example: Do not, under ANY circumstances, threaten the [[BadassDamsel students]] of [[NeverMessWithGranny Miss Scrimmage]]'s on her watch. Among other things, she has a shotgun.

-->'''Police Officer:''' Lady, ''GODZILLA'' couldn't frighten these girls!

* BavarianFireDrill: In ''Something Fishy'', Bruno and Boots are on dishwashing duty when the dishwasher overflows because a prankster has overloaded it with detergent. Overwhelmed by the cascade of suds, Bruno yells, "Fire!" and everyone on the kitchen staff rushes in. The chef complains that there is no fire, and Bruno defends himself by saying that nobody would have come if he had yelled, "Bubbles!"

-->'''Miss Scrimmage:''' "What do you mean coming over here in the middle of the night and frightening my sweet, innocent young girls?
-->'''Police Officer:''' "Lady, ''GODZILLA'' couldn't frighten these girls!"

* ''Go Jump in the Pool!'': Bruno is irritated that Macdonald Hall has no pool, unlike its rival York Academy. In fact, Boots' parents are thinking of pulling him from the Hall due to the poor athletic program. Bruno decides to solve this by raising money to buy a pool.

** For a non-Wizzle example: Do not, under ANY circumstances, threaten the [[BadassDamsel innocent young girls]] of [[NeverMessWithGranny Miss Scrimmage]]'s.

* ''Go Jump in the Pool!'': Bruno is irritated that Macdonald Hall has no pool, unlike its rival York Academy. In fact, some of the students' parents are thinking of pulling their kids from the Hall due to the poor athletic program. Bruno decides to solve this by raising money to buy a pool.

** OneGenderSchool: Macdonald Hall Miss Scrimmage's respectively.

--> '''Boots''': We made him promise not to blab stuff; but we never said he couldn't spell it out in lights!

* IntoxicationEnsues: In the first book, there's a description of Miss Scrimmage accidentally drinking spiked punch at a dance, which caused her to drag Mr. Sturgeon onto the dance floor and dance the funky chicken with him. In ''Beware The Fish!'', Elmer invents a cure for the common cold. Bruno and Boots slip it into Coach Flynn's sports drink when he has a cold; unfortunately, the combination of ingredients has an intoxicating effect. HilarityEnsues.

* ''The War With Mr.Wizzle/The Wizzle War'': New student adviser Mr. Wizzle and his cutting-edge computer program take charge at Macdonald Hall, instituting a dress code, forcing the students to write lines for punishment and generally annoying everyone. Even the Headmaster doesn't like the guy. Naturally, Bruno tries to find a way to get rid of him... and as it happens, Miss Scrimmage has just hired a new female advisor that her students are equally desperate to be rid of.

* BeingPersonalIsntProfessional: Mr. Sturgeon.

** It's also a bad idea to force Bruno Walton to put on a tie, make him get up before 9am, and insult the school in his hearing. Also, York Academy. And don't make fun of his lucky penny or you'll be sorry.
** For a non-Wizzle example: Do not, under ANY circumstances, threaten the [[BadassDamsel innocent young girls]] of [[NeverMessWithGranny Miss Scrimmage]]'s Finishing School for Young Ladies.

* BigEater: Wilbur Hackenschleimer

** OneGenderSchool: Macdonald Hall for the boys and one across the street called Miss Scrimmage's Finishing School for [[GirlNextDoor girls.]]
* BrickJoke: In the first chapter of the first book, Bruno and Boots replace the school's Canadian flag with the flag of Malbonia, which is confiscated by Mr. Sturgeon. Towards the end of the book, the Malbonian ambassador arrives at Macdonald Hall after [[spoiler: Bruno and Boots rescue his son from a runaway hot air balloon]]. He wants to have a ceremony to reward them, but he's forgotten to bring a Malbonian flag. Fortunately, Mr. Sturgeon just happens to have one in his desk.
* CanadaEh: The books are proudly set near the (fictional) town of Chutney, Ontario, just a relatively short distance from UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}.
* [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin Can't Get Away With Nuthin']]: At the end of the day, after all the madness is said and done, Bruno and Boots usually get in trouble for their actions.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In ''This Can't Be Happening!'', Boots enthusiastically goes along with Bruno's mad schemes. In later books, he's the OnlySaneMan trying to talk Bruno out of his latest ZanyScheme.
* [[ChekhovsGunman Chekhov's Gunman]]: George Wexford-Smyth III plays a some-what important rule in the first book, but only appears in the second to comment on how 'vulgar' their events are (not knowing what is going on) [[spoiler: He manages to invest all the money Bruno and Boots made beforehand into one of the richest Canadian mining companies, Lorelei Mining, giving them more than enough (around 2 million in the old copy of the book or around 65 thousand in the 2003 version) to build a pool)]]
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Mr. Sturgeon and Gloria Peabody

* DeanBitterman: Averted. Mr. Sturgeon cares deeply about his students.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Peabody

* DrillSergeantNasty: Gloria Peabody

* LoopholeAbuse: After Cathy is discovered moonlighting in the football team in ''The Zucchini Warriors'', they attempt to argue that there Ain't No Rule saying girls can't play. The referee points out that there ''is'' a rule saying that all the players in the school team have to be students at the school.
* MeaningfulName: Miss Scrimmage. Comes in handy in ''The Zucchini Warriors'' when the cheerleaders use the name "The Line Of Scrimmage."
* MistakenIdentity: Bruno and Boots try to force this by pretending to be George Wexford-Smyth III and Elmer Drimsdale in order to frame them for a panty-raid at Scrimmage's, in a ploy to get back together as roommates in ''This Can't Be Happening At Macdonald Hall!'' Mr. Sturgeon is not fooled.

* OppositesAttract: There's never any explanation to how Bruno and Boots became such good friends amid driving each other crazy at times.
** Also makes them a classic, albeit mild, example of VitriolicBestBuds.

* PrideBeforeAFall: This is a RunningGag in the series. Bruno confidently assures Boots that they won't get caught sneaking out of school, or that Mr. Sturgeon has no idea what mischief they've been up to. This practically guarantees that in the next few pages, Bruno and Boots ''will'' be caught sneaking out of school, or Mr. Sturgeon will summon them to his office because he knows ''exactly'' what mischief they've been up to.

* SaveOurTeam: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: Coach Hank doesn't work miracles on a bunch of sports-apathetic Canadian boys, the girl from the school next door does.
** Arguably, [[spoiler:Kevin Klapper]] plays this trope straight.

* SeriousBusiness: The war games Miss Scrimmages' held in ''The Wizzle War'' had fortresses, traps, (water) guns, and (water) balloons. Even the pouring rain and fog didn't keep these games from being played.

* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: The York Academy swim team at the beginning of ''Go Jump In The Pool!'' They win the tournament by a wide margin and then refuse to shake hands with the MacDonald Hall team as sports etiquette dictates they should.
* WorkOffTheDebt: Happens to Bruno and Boots when their schemes to be reunited in ''This Can't be Happening!'' start costing the school money. It also happens many times in the subsequent novels. In ''Something Fishy At Macdonald Hall'', a kitchen employee says that he loves when Bruno and Boots get dish-washing duty because they're highly skilled at it thanks to all their experience.
* WritingLines: In ''The War With Mr. Wizzle'', the new PointyHairedBoss of an assistant principal introduces lines as a standardized universal punishment. The students retaliate by picking a handful to write everybody's lines for them, giving the other students time to sabotage Wizzle's computer, make an InventedIndividual, and so on. (The kids who get picked to do lines soon begin to resent the ones who got assigned to the fun stuff, but they prevail anyway.) By contrast, the Headmaster, Mr. Sturgeon, whose power the students respect, disapproves of lines and prefers to impose lengthy essays as punishment.