The Misfits

The Misfits by James Howe

Young Adult novel

Four stars

                Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party, The No- Name Party, for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.

                I really enjoyed this book.  As a reader I really connected with all the characters.  But I feel that I can relate to Bobby the most.  He is a quiet young fellow, who is a follower at first and then becomes a leader.  When I was in grade school, I never participated much in class and mostly listened to what people had to say.  But when I do give my input it is usually something that was well thought out.  I also can relate to Bobby because he has a close group of friends who are just themselves and don’t really care what others think.

                The Misfits is a great book to bring in the middle school classroom.  It gives you a perspective of the kids who are being bullied in school and of the kids who are the bullies.  I really enjoyed the discussion in our class about people’s creeds and the task of creating a creed for a certain character in the book.  It helps me step into the shoes of a character.  For example, Addie comes off as a character that is tall, smart, and really bossy.  You grow to dislike her in the book.  But by making a creed that is in her voice strengthens the background of Addie.  Also, this book provides a discussion of implementing the No-Name Party in your own school.  Bullying does happen in schools, and as a future teacher I am not going to ignore it.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would love to bring it into my classroom.