"The Misfits" By: James Howe

I absolutely loved this book! I am truly amazed as to why this book is even controversial. If anything I think The Misfits sends a great message to all of its readers. It is about a boy, Bobby Goodspeed, and his friends in Paintbrush Falls Middle School. Bobby and his friends are the misfits, the kids who get teased, the ones who stand out. When describing his friends Bobby explains how each of them are his friends because they don't seem to be accepted by any of the other students. When student elections come around Bobby's ambitious friend Addie tries to organize a third party that will give the minority students a voice. Unfortunately their first attempt at creating a third party is denied, and all Addie's hopes seem to be crushed. But when Bobby begins to realize who he is and who he wants to be, there is no stopping him. He begins to let his voice be heard, and that is when the No-Name Party is created.
I think this is a great book, and 4th grade students all the way to 7th grade students would like this story. It is relatable so students in middle school can relate to some of the changes and experiences that occur during that age. It also addresses the problem of bullying. This book takes the bullying problem and makes it personal. Everyone at some point in their life has been called a name, and some kids are called names more than others. This book teaches students about the effects that name calling has, and how it can ruin people. The No-Name Party's slogan is "Sitcks and stones may break our bones, but name will break our spirit". I think this slogan sums up the painful effects bullying can have. And this problem so often goes unaddressed or is delt with in the wrong way. I think this would be a great book to either read as a read-aloud or as a class because it has a lot to offer about bullying and accepting people for who they are. I plan to make my classroom a safe environment for my students, and I think reading this book would address how people should be treated in a memorable way rather than creating a boring list of rules.
This book has an interesting cover. It is a picture of a jean jacket with campaign buttons all over it. The jean jacket is a wonderful cover because I could see, Skeezie, one of Bobby's friends wearing a jean jacket with a white t-shirt. I also love how the names are crossed out on campaign pins all over the jacket. I think this cover is simple, but makes enough of a statement about the book to get people interested. I think this is a wonderful book, and everyone should read it because no matter what age you are this book will teach you something about life.