Ever wondered what it’s like to be a primary school teacher? I think a number of parents over the past 18 months have had a vague idea but what’s it really like in the classroom? Well the Parkinson brothers are here to give you an insight into their working life!

I got myself a copy of Put A Wet Paper Towel On It after being recommended the podcast by the same blokes. I’m not a podcast listener as I fail to concentrate on it whilst I’m working so I figured the book would be the next best thing. And you know what, I loved it.

The banter between the brothers comes over so well in the written word. It’s like two men having a good chin wag over a pint. Their stories are hilarious in the main but some are slightly more emotional. The bit about Mr Crawford made me full on well up

They really capture primary school life to a T. The chapter about school performances is hilarious! As a parent, I’ve been to the nativity performances and everything said is so true.

But what they share isn’t just relevant to a parent. There are messages for all in this book. The five life rules are something we all need to take heed of:

Life is not fair
You get nothing in life for free
Not everyone will like you
Comparison is the thief of joy
If you have a problem, talk about it
These are wise concepts in my book and the last two are the ones I struggle with, particularly number 5.

Put A Paper Towel On It is a very open and opinionated read from two experienced members of the education system. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the anecdotes the Parkinsons had to share, a number rang true both as a parent and as someone who returned to primary school on work experience. If you want an insight into the primary classroom or a vocation into the education system, give Put A Paper Towel On It a read. You won’t be disappointed! And yes, a paper towel is essential for a classroom 😂

Really very funny! And so true to life. I’ve bought this for my teacher friend for Christmas. A great read for anyone remotely connected with schools or children!

I found this book difficult to get into, however with persistence it was worth the effort.
Not sure what I expected the layout to be but I didn't really gel with the style.

Good book just not for me.

I was really looking forward to reading this - the title alone had me smiling as I recalled the ever-present blue- paper towels that seemed to be the answer to everything when I was at school many moons ago. I was expecting a book that would raise more than a gentle up-turn of the mouth, in part reminiscence, in part forward looking. I've been through school. I am a parent to a teen, I have helped in schools and with other children's groups. I'm not, however, a teacher.

Ultimately though, I was disappointed. I found the book to be repetitive, self-congratulatory, and rather dull. Yes, the corners of my mouth were raised a few times but really not enough to make this a compelling read.

I imagine as a podcast the Parkinson brothers could be quite entertaining. Not every good podcast translates to a good book. Alas, for the 2 Mr Ps I'm unlikely to find out.

This was an interesting look into the world of primary school teaching. From Mr P and the other Mr P, hosts of this successful post comes an no-holds barred amusing insight into what it is like to be a teacher now and how their experiences of teaching compared to their memories of their own schooling. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and laughed out loud multiple times!

Lee and Adam Parkinson are brothers who work in education, one as a teacher and the other as a TA (teaching assistant). They have a very successful podcast and have now written a book detailing their experiences, as well as observations on education generally.

The start of the book introduces the brothers and their routes into the teaching profession, followed by chapters on various topics such as Parents, Behaviour, PE, Dinner Times, and School Trips. The brothers prefer to use a conversational approach, so one will often interject as they would on their podcasts. This can often be funny, whilst some may find it annoying.

Since I work in education (not as a teacher), I am able to relate to a lot of what is written about, and particularly the final chapter where opinions are voiced on what the authors perceive to be wrong with education at the present time. It seems that Ofsted and the present government have quite a lot to answer for. I have my own opinions, but rather than state them here, it is up to the individual to read and decide where they stand. You won't necessarily agree with everything that's asserted.

Whatever your opinions, whether you are within the profession or not, this is an enjoyable read. It will also bring back memories, as it did for me, of the types of characters in a school - teachers, parents, and kids. A great deal of it is relatable and will chime with readers' own experiences. I found myself chuckling in quite a few places.

If you have opinions on education, then again this is one you should probably read as it blows open a few of the myths and misunderstandings around teaching - especially in the chapter at the end.

As with the caring professions, teachers get a pretty raw deal at times and deserve much more praise and recognition, whilst the reality is an ever-increasing pile of paperwork and targets to be met. This book may change your perception of teachers and help you appreciate how hard they work.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by HarperCollins UK, in return for an honest appraisal.

I picked this book up thinking it would be a humorous trip down memory lane... reminiscing about what it was like to be taught in a typical British primary school. To a certain degree, it lived up to my expectations and unlocked memories I thought I'd forgotten. But I guess I wasn't expecting it to centre so much on the difficulties teachers face today.

I'm not a parent myself, and I've not heard of the Two Mr P's before, but I enjoyed reading from the perspective of the two teachers. I thought it was clever how the two voices were distinguished by the two font styles... It was easy to know exactly who was talking and when. I must admit I found it a little cringe with the playful banter and making digs at each other, but that's just me!

I loved the format of the book with the chapters centering on different areas of school life (i.e. school plays, assembly). However, I found some chapters a little too long and found myself losing interest quickly, particularly the chapter where they're listing the various types of teacher.

Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me. It was funny in places, and a little tedious in others. I reckon teachers and parents would probably enjoy this book because they'll be able to relate to the content more.

As a teacher with over 30 years in Primary schools this book is spot on in so many ways. As a follower of Mr Ps blog the style felt very familiar and the humour makes this a fun and entertaining read. For anyone with children it’s well worth a read and will give insight into the world of young children.
Hats off to all teachers and the book also referenced some of the difficulties that the teaching profession face. Highly recommend.

Having a child who has just starting at reception, I was eager to read to hear about what really happens when my daughter is at school. This book didn’t disappoint, funny, engaging and overall a great read. Now I need to apologise to my daughters teachers!!!

I was eager to read this book as I enjoy watching the videos on Facebook and have listened to the brothers' podcast prior. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and didn't seem to work as well as their podcast/videos. I think I was expecting more school-based anecdotes. Instead, it seemed to use different fonts to show which of the brothers writing and it didn't lend itself to written prose. The content seemed to say more about what was wrong with teaching/the education system and give the reader an autobiography of each of the brothers.

Whilst I did agree with a lot of what was said, I was hoping this would be light relief away from hearing about Ofsted, SLT and Education Policies. There are lots of acronyms that are used in education that will stop people who aren't familiar with them from understanding parts of the book. This is definitely aimed at people who are working in schools rather than parents.

It was well written, had humourous parts but didn't quite deliver what I was expecting.

My thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollins publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
A fascinating and humorous look into what happens when you drop your little darlings off at school every morning.
Plus an opportunity to look at thing’s from a staff point of view.
Every page puts a smile on your face.

To be honest I haven't listened to the podcast but had heard so many things and, as a teacher, I was really looking forward to this book.
I found myself a little disappointed. There were some fun moments and anecdotes about life in a school, but overall I found it quite repetitive and I lost interest in reading it.

I help in a school as a volunteer hearing 6/7 year olds read and love it and I have to say this book is exactly what I see in on my volunteer afternoon. Frazzled teaching staff doing the best they possibly can. I thought this book was amusing and I am sure so true to what happens. I liked the banter between the two brothers in the book and also the way it flits about. The names they gave to some of the teachers, The Mood Hoover particularly – we can all relate to that and have met some in our lives. I cannot really pick out a section to talk about really as I enjoyed it all and found some of the stories i.e the fibs the pupils tell teaches was funny. Teaching Assistants are very valuable and I have seen them torn between children and always have a smile and work really hard and are such a valuable asset to the teachers especially if they have a troubled child to deal with – well done to you all. I would like my grandchildren to be around these two brothers in school as it would brighten up their days immensely.

I've read several books borne of podcasts so was looking forward to this having the same conversational tone with plenty of genuine humour. I just didn't find it...the stories seemed contrived for the book and I felt such a disingenuous feeling from it that I just didn't bond with the book at all. For me, better left as a podcast, sorry.

A good insightful read which is well written.
Recommended read, although I would have liked a few more anecdotes

I found this book interesting - as someone who doesn't have children, but works on a voluntary basis with them, some of it resonated with me. The structure was easy to follow, and it was a great book to dip in and out of. Sometimes I felt it was a little bit preachy. There were quite a few times when I laughed out loud - the stories were great! I did enjoy it, and am going to buy it for my friends who are teachers for their Christmas!

The first book from the presenters of the podcast, Two Mr P's in a Pod(cast).

Enjoyable, well written and easy to read but I would have preferred more of the amusing anecdotes from the classroom as they were definitely the best bits for me.

This is a light hearted read, fairly anecdotal with some funny stories as a teacher and TA.

The format is very conversational like a podcast script. Lee and Adam interrupt each other a lot which was off putting in some parts.

A decent book - 3.5. Thanks to Beth lay ye and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Put a Wet Paper Towel On It is written by Lee and Adam Parkinson, two brothers who host the podcast Two Mr. Ps in a Pod(Cast), a light-hearted look at teaching in UK primary schools. This book had an unusual writing style that was conversational in nature with the two authors talking and joking with one another on the pages – almost as if you were reading a transcript of one of their podcast episodes. While the writing style wasn’t quite my cup of tea, this book was still filled with interesting, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking anecdotes about life as a primary school teacher.

The book was divided up into chapters, each covering a different topic after introductions from both authors about their respective journeys into teaching. Some of these include Classroom Crazes, School Performances, PE, Dinner Times, and Parents. Many of these sections are eye-opening and serve as reminders about just how much work goes into a typical school day even outside of teaching. I also especially liked the two early chapters that chronicled each of the authors’ journeys into teaching.

One of the chapters that really stood out, however, came at the end with the bluntly titled: “Everything Wrong with Education (in the UK)”. Here, Lee lays into the terrible and often toxic environment that teaching has become via mismanagement, poor government policies, over-regulation, misguided attempts at improving wellbeing, and much more that has led to the field having truly abysmal recruitment and even worse retention rates. It’s a chapter that is brutally honest and will leave you with a strong desire to help enact change.

I did find Put a Wet Paper Towel On It to be a little jumbled as it jumped from topic to topic, and not always entirely clear about who was speaking to me at any moment, but I still enjoyed the book and am planning to check out the podcast too.

An absolute cracker of a book. So funny with the classic Mr P spin on things. I adore the community he has built up and, as a fellow teacher, a lot of what he wrote really rings through. Thank you for the arc.