by James Howe (2003)
This book was a laugh. Howe's (or I should say Bobby's) word choice made tough situations seem light and light situations seem profound. The mix between simple sentences and complex word choice represents symbolically, to me, the time in a kid's life when he doesn't feel like a kid anymore, but certainly doesn't feel like an adult. Since this book is largely a coming-of-age story, I feel that the style is very appropriate. The moral is an important one -- that a group of kids can help end name-calling, even for a week -- but what I took from the book was the need for a community of 'misfits.' The term almost lacks meaning in the book, because regardless of how the Gang of Five is marginalized by the 'fits' they always have each other. Throughout the book the name-calling was almost peripheral to the group of kids, because they had already taken an internal stand against it. Through their campaign they gave a voice to other students who, perhaps, were not as outspoken as they were. There are points where Addie's understanding of race was upsetting for me, but I realize that almost all characters outside of Bobby are somewhat stereotyped or at least classified based on singular traits. It shows that even the best intentioned of the students are not free from bias or incapable of passing judgment. The end fell into place a little too perfectly and a little too quickly, but it can be overlooked for the overarching messages in the book.
I feel this book has a very important place -- especially in the middle school classroom. I think that every student will be able to connect with some character in the book and it will be a mirror for them to think about how they interact in their own school environment. An awareness of bullying is the first step in trying to end it in school. The fact that this book is controversial is ridiculous to me and I would encourage as many students as I could to read it (even if in my first years of teaching I was too scared to do a read-aloud!). This book is a great introduction for a discussion of bullying and I think principals and school districts should recommend it to the student body, not hide it from them. The complaints about this book promoting a homosexual agenda are idiotic, to say the least, and the adults making these outrageous claims in Pleasant Valley and elsewhere are exactly the type of characters that this book is trying to take a stand against. Every person feels like a misfit sometimes, but every person deserves to feel like they fit in. And this book is a perfect springboard for a lot of kids to feel part of a group -- even if they start feeling like the fifth member of the Gang of Five.
Interview with James Howe
Article: "Using The Misfits to discuss sexual orientation issues"
Class dicussion guide
This book was a laugh. Howe's (or I should say Bobby's) word choice made tough situations seem light and light situations seem profound. The mix between simple sentences and complex word choice represents symbolically, to me, the time in a kid's life when he doesn't feel like a kid anymore, but certainly doesn't feel like an adult. Since this book is largely a coming-of-age story, I feel that the style is very appropriate. The moral is an important one -- that a group of kids can help end name-calling, even for a week -- but what I took from the book was the need for a community of 'misfits.' The term almost lacks meaning in the book, because regardless of how the Gang of Five is marginalized by the 'fits' they always have each other. Throughout the book the name-calling was almost peripheral to the group of kids, because they had already taken an internal stand against it. Through their campaign they gave a voice to other students who, perhaps, were not as outspoken as they were. There are points where Addie's understanding of race was upsetting for me, but I realize that almost all characters outside of Bobby are somewhat stereotyped or at least classified based on singular traits. It shows that even the best intentioned of the students are not free from bias or incapable of passing judgment. The end fell into place a little too perfectly and a little too quickly, but it can be overlooked for the overarching messages in the book.
I feel this book has a very important place -- especially in the middle school classroom. I think that every student will be able to connect with some character in the book and it will be a mirror for them to think about how they interact in their own school environment. An awareness of bullying is the first step in trying to end it in school. The fact that this book is controversial is ridiculous to me and I would encourage as many students as I could to read it (even if in my first years of teaching I was too scared to do a read-aloud!). This book is a great introduction for a discussion of bullying and I think principals and school districts should recommend it to the student body, not hide it from them. The complaints about this book promoting a homosexual agenda are idiotic, to say the least, and the adults making these outrageous claims in Pleasant Valley and elsewhere are exactly the type of characters that this book is trying to take a stand against. Every person feels like a misfit sometimes, but every person deserves to feel like they fit in. And this book is a perfect springboard for a lot of kids to feel part of a group -- even if they start feeling like the fifth member of the Gang of Five.
Interview with James Howe
Article: "Using The Misfits to discuss sexual orientation issues"
Class dicussion guide
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