Boy or Beast

Creature from the Seventh Grade #1

by Bob Balaban, Andy Rash (Illustrations)

If popularity were a score between one and ten, Charlie Drinkwater would be a zero. He's nerdy and unathletic, and to top it all off, he's suddenly morphed into a giant mutant sea creature sometime between first-period science class and third-period English.

Now Charlie's two best friends are treating him like a science project, there's a petition to get him kicked out of school, the cool kids are recruiting him for their clique, and for some reason his parents are acting like everything is perfectly normal. What's a slimy, scaly, seventh-grade creature to do?

Genres: Humor, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Science Fiction, Friendship, Dinosaurs

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2012

About the author

Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, author, producer, and director.

Balaban is the author of a series of six children's novels featuring a bionic dog named McGrowl.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twelve year old Charlie is a down on himself kid from Stevenson Middle School. If he had to rate himself, he would be a zero. Charlie is a part of the Mainframes (with friends Lucille and Sam) but aspires to be a part of the Banditoes clique. Charlie is however unpopular and Craig Dieterly, who has been terrorizing him since preschool, will never allow him to be a member. One day during the middle of science class, Charlie finds himself turning into something from his favorite classic horror movies, a giant dinosaur. With this new change, Charlie's life will never be the same. The question is will things now be better or will he be stuck as a Mainframe for the rest of his life?

The story tries to tackle the message of bodily changes in middle school via a humorous transformation into a mutant dinosaur. There is also the messages of excepting ourselves, fangs and teeth and all. Charlie to me seems overly preoccupied with cliques and scoring points in popularity to the determent of his friendship with Lucille and Sam. The hardest parts of the book for me were that everyone treated Charlie normally after his transformation, well with the exception of his dog who apparently had the hardest time with it. Also, somehow he was now cool and even drew interest of the popular group. It seemed unrealistic that Charlie would tolerate Craig's continued bullying (he so would have been squashed like a bug) and I thought kids reading this book would see right through this. I however, can see how the cover, title and interior illustrations can be attractive draws to the book. There are some nice references to movies like The Fly, Star Trek and even the Creature From the Black Lagoon. Sink or Swim is the second book in the Creature from the Seventh Grade series with an expected release in 2013.

Just for the record, copy of the book provided by Penguin publishing and won at Charlotteslibrary.blogspot. A big thank you to both

[P.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

St. Patrick's Day seemed to be the perfect day to read this.

[Nasair Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The creature from the seventh grade by Bob Balaban and illustrated by Andy Rash. This is an a Realistic fiction book about a seventh grade named Charlie Drinkwater who life is changing very drastically.When Charlie is just doing a regular day of school and in science class he starts to notice weird things, the pet lizard they have is literally jumping out of its cage just to get on to charlie and try to fawn with him. The biggest thing about this story is Charlie does not know, but he is about to turn into a dinosaur and he is going to be frightened, also he has a big brother named Dave he is the captain of the football and basketball team. He is scared of how he will feel when he goes off to college all alone.

The things I liked about this book was it was mind catching as soon as I started to read it I quickly grew more attention towards it. Another thing that I liked is in the story it gives a good background even on the lowest characters and you know about them.I like the characters Lucille and Sam, Charlies best friends I like them because they were true friends who showed nothing but gratitude towards Charlie no matter what he was, they was never fake friends just trying to be cool. Also about this story I like how the bring up the brother situation about when you go to college far away you will feel lonely. You will only have phone calls and letters and text messages until the holidays come up and you can go home. The last thing I loved about the book was the bully situation between Charlie and Craig, it basically shows how you get bullied for a long time and you do something that's stands out you automatically get invited to them.

Despite the amount of rising actions this book was a good book I would recommend this book who like realistic fiction books, and also have a taste learning about dinosaurs. the amount of the characters zeal for there friend Charlie was what that really kept me reading as long the book was.I will definitely get a copy of the second series of this book

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

We know what happens when normal kids hit puberty. For Charlie Drinkwater, your average, not-so-popular 7th grader, things are a little bit different. One day, in the middle of class, Charlie turns into a giant, green dinosaur, just like The Creature from his favorite movie, Creature of the Black Lagoon. His parents are not really surprised. It seems the Drinkwater family has an ancient secret, dating back the age of the dinosaurs. As a dinosaur, Charlie gets more attention than he ever did as a normal human, though that doesn't stop his long-term bully from trying things with him. Will Charlie have the courage to stand up and stay true to himself, even when his reflection is unfamiliar?

There were many funny parts to this book. While you do have to suspend reality and believe the premise, once you do, Balaba follows through nicely with this world he's created. Unfortunately, other than the unique premise, the book is filled with typical cliches--unpopular boy suddenly becomes popular and ditches friends; popular kids eventually drop main character,leading to a realization; Principal doesn't believe kid is being bullied, etc.

That being said, considering the target audience is middle grade, I think children (especially boys) will eat up this book. Charlie is a relatable character that children will root for. There are also drawings and notebook entries interspersed, which enhance the story. As a Children's Librarian, I would definitely recommend it.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Drinkwater isn't feeling so hot. He's sprouted gills and green skin and a rather long, hard-to-control tail. Being a prehistoricish amphibian turns out to be quite a challenge. Can he handle suddenly being the center of attention? Will he be able to keep his tried and true friends when popularity comes knocking? Will his brother ever forgive him for trying to eat his pet fish? And how can he stand up to the class bully without getting permanently kicked out since he's only allowed in school as long as he can control his dinosaur impulses?

Picked this up from a sale table at the book store. It looked like something that would appeal to the middle school boys. It wasn't quite as funny as I thought it was going to be. In fact, other than the fact that Charlie has turned into a creature, the book very much reads like a realistic middle school book with typical kid drama going on. Some of the drama made adult me roll my eyes, but I don't think it will bother kids as much. The other thing that kept bothering me was Charlie's claws. They keep calling him an amphibian but he has claws. Amphibians do not have claws. It's one of the easiest ways to tell a lizard from a newt or salamander. But the average middle school reader is not going to know this or let it bother them. It's just when former science teachers pick it up there's twitching and grinding of teeth.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. No violence.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was fairly good. Possibly if I were in the 5th to 8th grades I might have thought it to be a very good book, even a great book!

Written in a rather unusual way, the author, I thought, set a humorous, off the wall storyline that showed how young adolecents today might feel as they encounter and are foced to deal with, the overwhelming and almost cataclysmic trouble, trauma and total transformal changes physically, emotionally and socially, they somehow one day ... in a matter of minutes, are "morphed" into, going from being a parent-protected, nurtured and basically for the most part "happy" adolecent child into an almost unrecognizable "creature-like life-form of their "new" selves and they really "don't" know how or what to think, to act or to accept it all, and who they can and should "talk to and confide in" that would "understand" them ... all the while wondering - "will they ever be "normal" again"!

I really did enjoy reading it, and found tha I liked it even more afterward, when I took time and thought about it! But this is from an adult looking back perspective ... and I wonder even more so just how and what the adolecent pre-teen might feel and think about it. Marti P

[db · Rating 2 out of 5]

Head's up for parents: An adult with mental illness is the butt of a recurring joke.

This story works as a metaphor to address adolescence and the (far less universal) experience of changing and finding one's self to be popular. It's not a bad story and I would have given it 3 stars but I was reading it with my 12 year old who has OCD. Fortunately, I read ahead before he got to the school counselor with OCD who is meant to be a joke of some sort. It's not particularly funny even if you don't love someone with OCD - it's a cliché. In any event, when I told my son that the OCD was treated like it was funny, he said flatly, "I don't want to read that" and opted not to finish the book.
This ableism is a flaw in a story focused on 3 "weird outsiders". The books tries to show that it's OK to be weird and underscore the value of having equally weird friends who get you - but with this so-called joke, it also says that if your weirdness comes with behavioral challenges or mental illness, then you are a joke, making it a painful read for precisely the kids who could most benefit from it. This may be addressed later in the series, but that's too late.

[Joannemarie O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Drinkwater is 12 years old, short for his age and definitely not cool. His older brother is a football star who is smart and popular. Charlie does have two very good friends and a family who loves him. He has a crush on one of the popular girls, but she only knows he's alive to tease him. Then, one day, Charlie wakes up feeling strange. By the middle of the school day he has metamorphosed into a large green, prehistoric creature. What's really weird is how all the different parts of his world react. His parents are not at all surprised. His older brother is kind of a jerk because he's no longer the center of attention and his dog is terrified. At school, the faculty and parents consider him a hazard and want him out, the popular kids suddenly take an interest. His friends are still his friends and the school bully is not impressed.

See the rest of my review on my blog, Fausti's Book Quest. http://faustisbookquest.blogspot.com/...

[RJ Oakeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a young boy has a rough life? In Bob Balaban's Creature for the Seventh Grade Boy or Beast Charlie Drinkwater if there was a popularity scale he would be a zero. But one day in between 2nd and 3rd period he morphed into a giant swamp monster. Bob Balaban made this book great by using descriptive writing. When Charlie was having problems or was fighting with his older bother. He also uses repetition to make sure the reader gets what's going on. The repetition is mostly seen when there's a lot going on like during and after Charlie eats his brothers fish, he keeps recapping that part in the story because it happened so fast. Along with descriptive writing and repetition he uses a key setting for most of the book and that's at Charlie's school. He uses it as a key setting because that is where most of the excitement happens other than his house. This book would be great for fans of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

[Ubalstecha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Dinkwater is one of the least popular students in the seventh grade. Smart, small, and bookish, he is a frequent victim of bullies. That is until he mutates into a dinosaut. Apparently Charlie's great-grandmother was a mutant dinosaut who married a human, and Charlie is a throwback to her line. Not very comforting when you are a seven-foot tall lizard in seventh grade.

But Charlie discovers that being a dinosaur makes him an instant celebrity. His popularity rises to the point that he is considered for membership in the exclusive Banditos, the most popular boys in the school. But is he willing to betray his friends to become more popular?

A good, but not great, novel by actor, writer, producer Bob Balaban. Slapstick events will be popular with a certain reader, but not a struggling reading, it's too long. Grade 6 to 8.

[Colin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creature From the Seventh Grade by Bob Balaban was an interesting book. One day when Charlie Drinkwater, an unpopular student, was in science class, he randomly turned into a dinosaur. At first he was shocked, but when he got home, his parents revealed that dinosaurness was a trait in his family. His grandma had it too. When he went back to school, he got bullied by a kid named Craig. But the schools most popular girl , Amy Armstrong, invited him to a party. At this point, his nerdy friends were mad at him. Amy tried to get him voted into the cool kids clique, but after his nerdy friends stopped Craig from finding out his embarrassing middle name, he decided who his real friends were.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scrawny, unpopular Charlie transforms into something like a dinosaur one day in the middle of school and has to deal with the social and emotional changes that go along with it. The author (wisely) ignores the issue of what kid of celebrity and worldwide scrutiny would actually go along with such a condition and focuses on Charlie's own town and school. Some of the lessons here are expected/typical but a few are original and a nice surprise. There is humor here but also some touching bits (how does Charlie feel about the loss of his humanity and the longing for his human form?). I found it a much more substantial book than I was expecting and would like to read more by this author.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently, when you're in middle school, the craziest thing about an abrupt metamorphosis is all the social implications. Protagonist Charlie turns into a mutant dinosaur right in the middle of science period, and his prospects with the elite cool crowd actually skyrocket. Balaban gets a lot of mileage out of the reactions of the adults in this story (protagonist Charlie's parents are mostly worried about his self-esteem, and the school principal's first concern is whether Charlie's situation falls under the student pet policy), but the interactions between the kids play out a little tritely. Goofy fun--with more to come from this series.

[Sam_mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this was book was very funny and good, but not original. It had many funny parts that can make you laugh, and it had a compelling character with a good story. But while I was reading it, I was thinking, "this book is exactly like Teen Wolf"! In Teen Wolf, Scott is the most un-popular kid in school. He later turn into a werewolf, and everybody loves him. In this book, Charlie is the nerdiest kid in school. Charlie turns into a dinosaur, and then everybody loves him. There almost the exact same thing! In conclusion, I really liked this book, it just wasn't original.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Suddenly I can feel my teeth getting longer and sharper. My neck grows longer, too. And skinnier. I stare, transfixed, at my fingers as each of my hands morphs into a claw with three sharp talons. My toenails burst through my sneakers. I cross my legs and try tp hide my lower extremities under my desk. It’s my nightmare come true: I, Charles Elmer Drinkwater, am turning into the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was okay. The main character was dealing with all the stuff a typical 7th grader has to deal with: bullying, popularity, school work... turning into an amphibian...

I didn't like the back-story of why he turned into an amphibian and the way he and his parents were talking about their former creature ancestors.

It seems like there's a possibility of a second book...

[,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸-__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡_,.-~*`(='.')Arcane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a good book, the reviews are good but the book itself was also a well written book. Its more of the kind of book I would have read last year in 6th grade but either way still pretty fun.

[Nan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never quite finished this, it was kinda pedestrian...