The Misfits

Howe, J. (2001). The misfits. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 274 pages. ISBN 9780689839566

Primary genre: realistic fiction

Other elements: friendship, politics, family

Intended reader age: 10 and up

Synopsis:

Bobby, Addie, Skeezie, and Joe may not be the most popular kids in middle school but they have each other. Addie, discontent with the traditional two party system for student government, decides it is time for a third party to be introduced. When her party plan does not gain the following she had hoped for, it is Bobby’s idea that sparks the student body interest. The message Bobby creates speaks to not only their group but also the whole school, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will hurt our spirits.”

Review:

I really liked Bobby as a protagonist; the way that he relays the situations and presented his opinions was very enjoyable. Much of his commentary at the beginning does correlate with the ‘get along’ mentality his father taught him. But it is also here that he pokes fun at those thoughts; starts to realize that just because it is easier does not mean it is best. He also interjects these thoughts that remind readers that he is a tween and is experiencing all that comes with that, “I curse whoever invented adolescence and ask God to keep me up right and odor-free for another either minutes” (p. 45).

I think this story has a great deal to offer young readers. It is not the popular kids who were willing to enact the changes. It was the outcasts. There was not a very big divide between the two groups; they recognized their difference but still interacted on a fairly regular basis. When we come in as readers, things are beginning to mellow out. There were references to the past interactions they had (like the kids who called Joe a fairy or wrote derogatory terms on his locker). But we did not experience this where the story picked up. Howe toned it down a bit and focused readers on the lasting effects these actions can have on others.

I did find it a bit a stretch that the boy Joe was crushing on would also be openly gay; this is still a small town. But, I appreciated the attempt on the author’s part to offer all of his main characters that chance at happiness. I think this became especially apparent after learning that Howe wrote this story after observing the troubles his daughter was experiencing in school. This observation led him to reflect on his experiences and he came to realize that many people have similar experiences, and he wanted to show readers that it may be bad now but they can make changes and this will not last.

Howe also wrote two other stories that about the characters. Totally Joe gives readers the perspective of Joe in the year following The Misfits and Addie on the Inside takes readers into the head of Addie and is written completely in verse form.