The Misfits

The Misfits

by James Howe

An all around good read. This novel is a little lengthly for most children the age that I teach, but definitely beginning in third grade, there will be some children who can handle and will want to read a book like this. Howe hits on many of the issues that children face growing up, especially around middle school and puberty. Regardless of the specific issues that each character in the story is struggling with, this book is a great example of the prevalence of name-calling in school and the degree to which it affects students' lives. The students in this book chose to become proactive about making change in their school, something we as teachers can teach our students to do at their schools, in response to their own concerns. Readers will feel a connection to each of the characters and invested in their future; I know I wanted to keep reading about how their lives were going even after the story was finished. The Misfits contains a significant lesson to learn.