Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is sponsored by Shannon Messenger at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe. For a complete list of today's participants, visit HERE.
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Louis Sachar
Random House Children's Books
Ages 10 - 14
From the author of the acclaimed bestseller Holes, winner of the Newbery Award and the National Book Award, comes a new middle-grade novel with universal appeal. Combining horror-movie suspense with the issues of friendship, bullying, and the possibility of ecological disaster, this novel will intrigue, surprise, and inspire readers and compel them to think twice about how they treat others as well as their environment.
Be careful. Your next step may be your last.
MY REVIEW:
I loved HOLES. Who didn't? So I was excited to get my hands on Louis Sachar's newest book, FUZZY MUD. And it was good, definitely worth the read.
While running from the school bully, two friends find themselves deep in the local woods and deep in trouble. They stumble on some odd-looking mud puddles. Some of it gets on the girl's hand, and the result is an increasingly blistering, itching rash. And then the bully goes missing. Is he a victim of the mud, too?
The story is told from alternating points of view and is part mystery, part horror (on a kid level). It also has a neat way of teaching a little science, too. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't mention Sachar's reference to over population (an overt attempt to politicize the story and his young readers). As a parent, I didn't appreciate that. But he is Louis Sachar and can say pretty much whatever he wants in his books.
Overall, I found FUZZY MUD thrilling and a lot of fun to read.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENT REVIEW:
Profanity: None
Violence: Mild - Moderate
Sexuality: None
I am intrigued!. Thanks for you review. I've added this to my future books to read list.
ReplyDeleteI thought it odd that this was so overly political in many ways. Agenda driven stories often fail to amuse readers. Yes, authors can say whatever they want, but it's still up to consumers to buy the books. I liked the science parts, but the bullying was overdone and boring.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't think middle grade fiction is the right place to voice an author's opinion on politics and social issues. It comes across as an attempt at manipulation.
DeleteI sure liked Holes. I'm not sure the political theme in this is very interesting to me, but maybe I'll take a look. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
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