The Misfits

Howe, James. The Misfits. Aladdin Paperbacks: New York, 2001.

The Misfits by James Howe is a first person narrative by a seventh grade boy named Bobby Goodspeed.  He’s overweight and feels socially awkward, always being called names such as “Fluff”, “Pork Chop”, and “Fatso” by the majority of his peers. However he does have a supportive group of three friends: Addie, the too tall and too smart one, Skeeze, the poor and dirty one, and Joe, the gay and flamboyant one. Each of them know what it is like to be called names and be made fun of for their differences. The four seventh graders run for student council under the Freedom Party, later to become the No-Name Party. Their slogan is “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but names will break our spirit”. They advocate for an anti-bullying environment, in which no one is called any derogatory names anymore. Bobby gives a speech during the elections about the pain caused by name-calling and the entire student body rises to their feet and cheers. While they do not win the election in the end, their principle enacts a No-Name Week in honor of them. Their courage and bravery make a noticeable change in the school’s attitude towards minorities and in their social lives, as well.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was hilarious and definitely reflected the mentality of a seventh grader. It celebrates kids’ differences and advocates for a non-bullying environment, which is a very relevant issue in middle schools. Each character embodies issues of race, puberty, class, or homosexuality. While James Howe is white, I think this would be a great novel to teach in a 6^th, 7^th or 8^th grade diverse classroom. The sentence structures and vocabulary are fairly easy, but it does bring up very interesting topics for discussion. My coop told me she read it in her 6^th grade class, and one of the students told me he loved it. She said she even does a short lesson on gay and lesbian rights, which she really enjoys and the students seem to gain a lot from the lesson and the book. However, she did say that she had to send a note home to make sure the parents were okay with and aware of the subject of homosexuality being discussed in class. There is a sequel to this book, Totally Joe, completely about Joe’s experiences of being gay in the seventh grade. I think this would be a really great independent or group novel for students to have available to them.