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.