The Odd Squad – Bully Bait

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       July 14, 2014

 

Author  Michael Fry

Distributor:     
ISBN:                 9780571304950
Publisher:         Faber
Release Date:    

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Everyone says that your days at school should be some of the best times ever! This may be true for a few children, but  many children would strongly disagree.

 Nick, Molly and Karl are the members of the “Odd Squad”, three kids who just don’t fit in to school life and the school world. One of the reasons for this is ROY!, the “Mutant Troll Bully” who enjoys putting Nick inside  his own locker.   Because Nick is one of the shortest kids in the school, he fits into the locker neatly, although he does suffer from “Zombie Butt” when his rear end becomes numb.

 The school Nick attends is called The Emily Dickinson Middle School, named after the woman who taught there. It is supposed that, when anything goes missing, or when Nick gets put in his locker, Emily is to blame. The Janitor assures the children that Emily’s ghost still plays an active part in the school life. Unwilling to “dob” Roy in , for fear of reprisal, Nick shrugs his shoulders, when asked how he got into his own locker. So the myth of the ghost is perpetuated.

 In desperation, the school counsellor gets Nick, Molly and Karl together, and anxious to resolve the bullying issue for these children, she comes up with a cunning plan! She insists they form a group known as the “Safety Patrol Group”.

With many funny and unusual plans, often fuelled by the Janitor, the three children gradually gain respect from the other students.  They start to feel better about themselves and discover an amazing secret about Roy,  that has the power to stop his bullying.

 This book is written with humor and an understanding of “How Children Work” with the appeal of the plot, the issue of bullying, and the satisfying conclusion holding the interest.

 The language is well tailored for younger readers and text structure is simple. The text is also well broken up by clever cartoon sketches in black and white to elaborate an idea or add to the text.

 Most children will relate to this book and will enjoy the characters and the plotting to

stop the bully.