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A Monsterrific Tale #6
The Bully Bug
The Bully Bug is the sixth standalone tale in the hilarious Monsterrific Tales series for young readers by acclaimed author David Lubar. The Monsterrific Tales series began with Hyde and Shriek , a Kids' Indie Next list selection, and is sure to appeal to reluctant readers and fans of Lubar's short stories collections.
There's something strange going on at Washington Irving Elementary School. Kids are turning into monsters―literally!
Lud Mellon gets bitten by a bevy of bugs in his basement and the next thing he knows, he's crawling up walls, drooling on his food, and rolling around in garbage. Turning into a giant insect seems fun at first, almost like having superpowers. But when his dad calls in the exterminators, Lud has to figure out how to stop his transformation before he gets squashed like a bug.
"This book will talk itself right off the shelves, and reluctant readers will devour it." ―School Library Journal on The Curse of the Campfire Weenies
There's something strange going on at Washington Irving Elementary School. Kids are turning into monsters―literally!
Lud Mellon gets bitten by a bevy of bugs in his basement and the next thing he knows, he's crawling up walls, drooling on his food, and rolling around in garbage. Turning into a giant insect seems fun at first, almost like having superpowers. But when his dad calls in the exterminators, Lud has to figure out how to stop his transformation before he gets squashed like a bug.
"This book will talk itself right off the shelves, and reluctant readers will devour it." ―School Library Journal on The Curse of the Campfire Weenies
144 pages, Hardcover
First published September 2, 2014
1 person is currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
David Lubar
107 books243 followersDavid Lubar created a sensation with his debut novel, Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Thousands of kids and educators across the country have voted Hidden Talents onto over twenty state lists. David is also the author of True Talents, the sequel to Hidden Talents; Flip, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror selection; several short story collections: In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, The Curse of the Campfire Weenies, The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and Attack of the Vampire Weenies; and the Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series. Lubar grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, and he has also lived in New Brunswick, Edison and Piscataway, NJ, and Sacramento, CA. Besides writing, he has also worked as a video game programmer and designer. He now lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidl...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidl...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 24, 2017
Quite a kick. I liked getting to know a bully from his point of view. Better yet, his family isn't dysfunctional (though his dad is a bit negative, saying stuff like 'don't bother crying now because there'll be more to cry about later'). Not real deep or anything, but better than TV for sure! I will look for others in the series (and btw, it's fine to start here, there's even an unnecessary preface to catch us up).
June 8, 2015
School Library Journal September 1, 2014
Gr 3-6-Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.- Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review From Titlewave
Author Amy Nolan
Gr 3-6-Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.- Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review From Titlewave
Author Amy Nolan
June 13, 2018
Dexter (9yo) read.
January 4, 2017
Review was published in the September 2014 edition of School Library Journal.
Gr 3–6—Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI
Gr 3–6—Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI
November 29, 2014
This is a wonderful book with a neat perspective. In the other books, Lud and the Mellon family are always considered the bullies (by the other main characters), so this was an interesting take on the monster story, mostly because of the fact that Lud needs the help of one of the kids he accidentally bullied. Apparently, Lud doesn’t mean to be a bully (doesn’t realize he is bullying, but knows he says some somewhat mean things, like “watch where you walk” when a kid runs into him), he just doesn’t like to talk to many people for long amounts of time, and his outward actions look/sound like bullying (laughing because a character looks so scared, etc.). I like how he ends up making a friend or two in the book, but also comes out of his shell (pun not intended). This is a great series that I think a lot of kids could get into!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
December 8, 2014
This one seems to teach as well as entertain...I would recommend it for perhaps the fourth grader...I never read any of the other books in this series and honestly only picked this up to complete my 2014 book goal...it was not even close to being my type of read but I could see how a fourth grader might truly enjoy it...yes this belongs on a summer reading list - possibly a class read as well
January 8, 2015
Jan is the person who read this. We wanted to save everyone some time.
December 1, 2014
A stand alone in Lubar's Monsterrific Tales. Lud gets bitten by insects and then starts turning into one. Humorous story for elementary and reluctant readers. A quick read!
May 14, 2015
Safe, creepy, kid-friendly horror. A quick and easy read that is part of a series.
October 22, 2015
I love the monsterific series. Fun, and a bit creepy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews