Muddle School

by Dave Whamond

Overview

An artistic new kid navigates life at middle school. Dave doesn’t have high hopes for himself at his new school in a town called Muddle. But he has no idea just how bad it will be. Public bullying. His secret crush revealed. And then that snot bubble . . . No, things aren’t going well. But while building a time machine for the science fair, Dave gets an idea. What if he goes back in time, and has a redo? Could he turn everything around? Could he actually become . . . cool? A hilarious tonic for every adolescent dealing with humiliation, discomfort, awkwardness — a.k.a. middle school!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525305405
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	69 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Dave Whamond is a writer, illustrator and cartoonist whose work bursts with energy and humor. He has written and/or illustrated over twenty-five books, and they have garnered many awards, including the Blue Spruce, other readers’ choice awards and the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for Best Illustrated Book. Dave lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, two kids and a very enthusiastic dog.

Editorial Reviews

Should help readers muddle through middle school themselves.—Kirkus Reviews

Expect big laughs from this ... graphic novel ...—Quill & Quire

For students who enjoy “slice-of-life” funny realistic graphic novels this new book will be a hit.—School Library Connection

Muddle School is a book with a message, but one that is so well weaved into the zany comic story that most kids won't let that bother them.—CM Magazine

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

Gr 4–7—New kid Dave finds himself the target of bullies, rouses the ire of his teachers, and is embarrassed when his crush on Lisa becomes public knowledge. But what if Dave and his friend Chad could build a time machine and start over again? Drawing from his own experience, Whamond explores adolescent angst and the turmoil of middle school. The two-tone, blue and white illustrations are reminiscent of comic strips. The book is a quick read, with easy-to-follow text, dominated by internal monologues from Dave. But while readers may initially be drawn in by the premise of time travel, they may be disappointed in the execution—time travel isn't introduced until late in the narrative and wraps up quickly. Dave and his family are white. The illustration style doesn't stand out, and the story will feel familiar to many readers—another middle school graphic novel based on the author's life, about a less-than-popular, comic-drawing kid finding his voice. VERDICT Whamond doesn't tread any new ground, but libraries looking for more non-series graphic novels featuring male protagonists may be interested in adding this to an existing collection alongside more substantial titles like Jerry Craft's New Kid and Kwame Alexander's The Crossover.—Aryssa Damron, DC P.L., Washington, DC

School Library Journal

2021-08-11
Follow Dave’s journey as he navigates his time as a new student in middle, er…Muddle School.

Dave’s family has just moved to Muddle and hope that this new environment will inspire their son to get better grades and find himself. Sadly, his mother’s attempts to help him make a good first impression lead him to wear a powder-blue leisure suit that quickly makes him the target of a trio of bullies. This account begins an autobiographical retelling of the author/artist’s time at a new school and how his increasingly positive attitude over the course of the year helped him to gain popularity and develop a core group of friends. The message isn’t too heavy-handed (although the theme is directly addressed by a studious friend), and readers will have a lot of laughs (often at Dave’s expense) along the way. The cartoon artwork, heavily lined in black and shaded in faded blues with Dave’s looser cartoons interspersed on faux lined paper, is amusing, but characterizations are not always visually consistent. The theme and the humor transcend this concern, however, and rabid fans of series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Popularity Papers will happily gobble this up. Dave, his family, and most of his classmates present White, though there are some characters of color, including Dave’s chief bully and Dave’s crush.

Should help readers muddle through middle school themselves. (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews