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The Misfits #1
The Misfits
Kids who get called the worst names oftentimes find each other. That's how it was with us. Skeezie Tookis and Addie Carle and Joe Bunch and me. We call ourselves the Gang of Five, but there are only four of us. We do it to keep people on their toes. Make 'em wonder. Or maybe we do it because we figure that there's one more kid out there who's going to need a gang to be a part of. A misfit, like us.
Skeezie, Addie, Joe, and Bobby -- they've been friends forever. They laugh together, have lunch together, and get together once a week at the Candy Kitchen to eat ice cream and talk about important issues. Life isn't always fair, but at least they have each other -- and all they really want to do is survive the seventh grade.
That turns out to be more of a challenge than any of them had anticipated. Starting with Addie's refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance and her insistence on creating a new political party to run for student council, the Gang of Five is in for the ride of their lives. Along the way they will learn about politics and popularity, love and loss, and what it means to be a misfit. After years of getting by, they are given the chance to stand up and be seen -- not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the full, complicated human beings they are just beginning to discover they truly are.
Skeezie, Addie, Joe, and Bobby -- they've been friends forever. They laugh together, have lunch together, and get together once a week at the Candy Kitchen to eat ice cream and talk about important issues. Life isn't always fair, but at least they have each other -- and all they really want to do is survive the seventh grade.
That turns out to be more of a challenge than any of them had anticipated. Starting with Addie's refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance and her insistence on creating a new political party to run for student council, the Gang of Five is in for the ride of their lives. Along the way they will learn about politics and popularity, love and loss, and what it means to be a misfit. After years of getting by, they are given the chance to stand up and be seen -- not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the full, complicated human beings they are just beginning to discover they truly are.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
366 people are currently reading
8016 people want to read
About the author
James Howe
218 books459 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 810 reviews
April 11, 2010
"Kids who get called the worst names oftentimes find each other. That's how it was with us. Skeezie Tookis and Addie Carle and Joe Bunch and me. We call ourselves the Gang of Five, but there are only four of us. We do it to keep people on their toes. Make 'em wonder. Or maybe we do it because we figure that there's one more kid out there who's going to need a gang to be a part of. A misfit, like us.
...I do not want you thinking that I or Addie or Joe or Skeezie feel sorry for ourselves. We do not. Other people may call us names or think we're weird or whatever, but that does not mean we believe them. We may be misfits, but we're okay. Leastwise, in our own eyes we are, and that's all that really matters."
Middle school sucks. This is a generally accepted fact of life, unless you were one of those people who really loved middle school - which is sad. James Howe remembers this, and The Misfits is a fantastic representation of the whole awful middle school experience.
Four friends, called the Misfits, decide to create a third political party for their school's student council elections. They are comprised of Addie, who is a tall smart girl; Skeezie, who dresses like a 50's gangster; Joe, who is gay; and the narrator Bobby, who is fat. They've spent most of their school careers being called a variety of names by other students, and because of this they create a new political party. They call themselves the The No-Name Party, and their goal is to get kids at the school to stop calling each other names. (apparently, this book actually influenced real schools to create No-Name-Calling weeks, which is pretty cool.)
This is a good book. It's sweet without being cloying, funny without trying too hard, and it has a message that doesn't need to be crammed down your throat. The characters are all very well done, and I think I would have liked middle school a lot more if I'd been friends with people like these.
PS: Remember James Howe? He wrote the Bunnicula books, and I'm really happy he's still writing.
Read for: Social Justice in Young Adult Literature
...I do not want you thinking that I or Addie or Joe or Skeezie feel sorry for ourselves. We do not. Other people may call us names or think we're weird or whatever, but that does not mean we believe them. We may be misfits, but we're okay. Leastwise, in our own eyes we are, and that's all that really matters."
Middle school sucks. This is a generally accepted fact of life, unless you were one of those people who really loved middle school - which is sad. James Howe remembers this, and The Misfits is a fantastic representation of the whole awful middle school experience.
Four friends, called the Misfits, decide to create a third political party for their school's student council elections. They are comprised of Addie, who is a tall smart girl; Skeezie, who dresses like a 50's gangster; Joe, who is gay; and the narrator Bobby, who is fat. They've spent most of their school careers being called a variety of names by other students, and because of this they create a new political party. They call themselves the The No-Name Party, and their goal is to get kids at the school to stop calling each other names. (apparently, this book actually influenced real schools to create No-Name-Calling weeks, which is pretty cool.)
This is a good book. It's sweet without being cloying, funny without trying too hard, and it has a message that doesn't need to be crammed down your throat. The characters are all very well done, and I think I would have liked middle school a lot more if I'd been friends with people like these.
PS: Remember James Howe? He wrote the Bunnicula books, and I'm really happy he's still writing.
Read for: Social Justice in Young Adult Literature
May 6, 2015
I know that preachy, bullying-is-bad books are popular at the moment, but this is the worst one I've ever read. The moral of the book is supposedly that you should get to know your classmates as unique individuals rather than stereotyping them into categories like "nerd" and "jock," but the author has hypocritically thrown together every stereotype he could think of instead of creating interesting, dynamic characters. This book is insulting to every type of teenager.
June 3, 2009
By:James Howe total pages:288
Misfits by James Howe is about a group of middle school students who are best friends who have been teased by many people over the years. the main characters in this story are Addie, Bobby, Joe, Skeezy. Bobby used to be picked on because he is over weight Addie was teased because of her height and because she was very shy. Skeezy was teased because he dresses differently then most other people do. Joe was always teased because he is gay. These students found each other at school and then called each other misfits because they never fit in with the "in crowd." They all decide to run in the upcoming school election and try and beat the other students by being the best candidate and winning other peoples votes. In the end they don't end up winning the election but they all gained more self confidence. They also gave a speech at school about how bullying and name calling is a bad thing and they each spoke of their own experiences with name calling.
This book teaches readers that it doesn't matter what someone looks like or how they dress or who they choose to date it matters about who the person inside of them is. These kids were very good people but no one took a chance to get to know them because of what they saw on the outside. This is like saying don't judge a book by it's cover because you never know what kind of a person someone is until you really get to know them. Bullying and teasing kids doesn't make them feel good it just lowers their self esteem and lowers their self confidence. At the end of this book the kids have more confidence then when they started because they spoke about what had hurt them in the past and told people how it made them feel.
Misfits by James Howe is about a group of middle school students who are best friends who have been teased by many people over the years. the main characters in this story are Addie, Bobby, Joe, Skeezy. Bobby used to be picked on because he is over weight Addie was teased because of her height and because she was very shy. Skeezy was teased because he dresses differently then most other people do. Joe was always teased because he is gay. These students found each other at school and then called each other misfits because they never fit in with the "in crowd." They all decide to run in the upcoming school election and try and beat the other students by being the best candidate and winning other peoples votes. In the end they don't end up winning the election but they all gained more self confidence. They also gave a speech at school about how bullying and name calling is a bad thing and they each spoke of their own experiences with name calling.
This book teaches readers that it doesn't matter what someone looks like or how they dress or who they choose to date it matters about who the person inside of them is. These kids were very good people but no one took a chance to get to know them because of what they saw on the outside. This is like saying don't judge a book by it's cover because you never know what kind of a person someone is until you really get to know them. Bullying and teasing kids doesn't make them feel good it just lowers their self esteem and lowers their self confidence. At the end of this book the kids have more confidence then when they started because they spoke about what had hurt them in the past and told people how it made them feel.
June 22, 2018
I read this overnight in order to help my seventh-grade Godson with his back to school ELA assignment. The more I read it, the more annoyed I got. This book is rated as being age appropriate for 10-14 year olds, yet there is absolutely no way that children this age could wade through the tremendous amount of agenda-driven BS that makes up the majority of the first half of the book.
Touted as a book about anti-bullying, the book touches on homophobia, racism, police brutality, and a number of other contemporary social justice issues, with absolutely no way for young readers to make any discernment about the issues. The only way this book works is as a teacher (or parent) driven discussion springboard, and quite frankly, it's more appropriate for a class on current events than ELA. The problem is, children are going to read alone, and not ask the right questions. I asked my Godson several questions related to issues in the plot, and he was mostly just confused. (He's academically on target.)
It's wholly irresponsible to basically drop these culture bombs on kids, explode them, and then not stick around to clean up the mess. For example, at one point one of the characters uses the ethnic slur "mick," and while another character objects, there is no relating it to other race issues in the book, nor is it labeled as being truly racist. There's also the problem that *despite* this being a book about a campaign against name-calling, the protagonists push some unhealthy, "bullying" stereotypes of their own, without this being seen as wrong. At one point a girl's future is described as a basically totally useless one in which she's unemployed and suffering from an eating disorder -- all because she was a cheerleader in seventh grade.
It's not so much that this is a badly written book per se. It's that the way the book is written isn't suited for its audience. It's too subversive. You know how when you go to a children's movie, the writers often insert some adult humor? It felt like that, except what was being inserted wasn't funny. It was social agenda, plain and simple. The thing is, when dealing with a kids' movie, it makes sense that there's some adult humor, since at least during the initial theatrical run, kids need adults to take them to theater, and so there are at least adults in the theatre. But with the book, there's no need to address the adults.
I don't have a problem with social message books, even for young children. What I do take issue with is a book purporting to be about one social issue while under the masquerade, it pushes a bunch of other issues on kids with no real responsibility.
I did what a responsible adult should do. I discussed the book with my Godson. We had a very timely conversation about what it means to refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. But that's not what every guardian is going to do -- especially not if they don't know that this is the kind of book that needs that sort of guidance. And children's books shouldn't really need directions.
For my two cents, Mr. Howe should stick to writing about vampire bunnies.
Touted as a book about anti-bullying, the book touches on homophobia, racism, police brutality, and a number of other contemporary social justice issues, with absolutely no way for young readers to make any discernment about the issues. The only way this book works is as a teacher (or parent) driven discussion springboard, and quite frankly, it's more appropriate for a class on current events than ELA. The problem is, children are going to read alone, and not ask the right questions. I asked my Godson several questions related to issues in the plot, and he was mostly just confused. (He's academically on target.)
It's wholly irresponsible to basically drop these culture bombs on kids, explode them, and then not stick around to clean up the mess. For example, at one point one of the characters uses the ethnic slur "mick," and while another character objects, there is no relating it to other race issues in the book, nor is it labeled as being truly racist. There's also the problem that *despite* this being a book about a campaign against name-calling, the protagonists push some unhealthy, "bullying" stereotypes of their own, without this being seen as wrong. At one point a girl's future is described as a basically totally useless one in which she's unemployed and suffering from an eating disorder -- all because she was a cheerleader in seventh grade.
It's not so much that this is a badly written book per se. It's that the way the book is written isn't suited for its audience. It's too subversive. You know how when you go to a children's movie, the writers often insert some adult humor? It felt like that, except what was being inserted wasn't funny. It was social agenda, plain and simple. The thing is, when dealing with a kids' movie, it makes sense that there's some adult humor, since at least during the initial theatrical run, kids need adults to take them to theater, and so there are at least adults in the theatre. But with the book, there's no need to address the adults.
I don't have a problem with social message books, even for young children. What I do take issue with is a book purporting to be about one social issue while under the masquerade, it pushes a bunch of other issues on kids with no real responsibility.
I did what a responsible adult should do. I discussed the book with my Godson. We had a very timely conversation about what it means to refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. But that's not what every guardian is going to do -- especially not if they don't know that this is the kind of book that needs that sort of guidance. And children's books shouldn't really need directions.
For my two cents, Mr. Howe should stick to writing about vampire bunnies.
October 3, 2019
The Misfits is a beautifully written, clever, hilarious book about a group of "misfits" in 7th grade. The main character, Bobby, gets teased for being chubby. Addie gets teased for being super tall AND super smart. Skeezie is the used-to-be mean kid, turned funny guy who no one seems to understand. Joe is proud of his identity as a gay kid, but the only people who accept him are "the group of 5" (which they call themselves, even though there are only 4 of them).
Together they create the "No Name Party," and attempt to run for school counsel under the slogan "Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our spirit." They challenge the school system and what is conventionally thought of as accepted, popular, and "normal".
This story is perfect for everyone, especially those who enjoy realistic fiction, and those who have ever been made to believe the names other people call them.
Together they create the "No Name Party," and attempt to run for school counsel under the slogan "Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our spirit." They challenge the school system and what is conventionally thought of as accepted, popular, and "normal".
This story is perfect for everyone, especially those who enjoy realistic fiction, and those who have ever been made to believe the names other people call them.
June 9, 2010
This is a wonderful book on many levels. The dialogue cracks me up. James Howe's characterizations are strong. He is realistic about the difficulties of school social life, but avoids scaring the will to live out of the reader. He is realistic, but not overly-dramatic.
What I love most about this book is how Bobby's thoughts are elucidated. He's growing into a manhood born of the strength of character it takes to consider others--something that requires a bravery rarely discussed. I would be fortunate to have a friend, a student, or a son like Bobby. For that matter, I'd be fortunate to know people like any of the four main characters.
And on the subject of fortunate, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to James Howe speak, and to briefly meet him in April of 2010 at IRA. I got his signature on my brand new hardcover copies of The Misfits and Totally Joe.
Important yoga breath moment: The idea of No Name Calling Week isn't just an imaginary event at PFMS. It's a nationwide movement. See http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-... for information. I am hopeful that some day some of my former students will get together at the junior high and find some way to incorporate no name calling week into the school year!
What I love most about this book is how Bobby's thoughts are elucidated. He's growing into a manhood born of the strength of character it takes to consider others--something that requires a bravery rarely discussed. I would be fortunate to have a friend, a student, or a son like Bobby. For that matter, I'd be fortunate to know people like any of the four main characters.
And on the subject of fortunate, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to James Howe speak, and to briefly meet him in April of 2010 at IRA. I got his signature on my brand new hardcover copies of The Misfits and Totally Joe.
Important yoga breath moment: The idea of No Name Calling Week isn't just an imaginary event at PFMS. It's a nationwide movement. See http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-... for information. I am hopeful that some day some of my former students will get together at the junior high and find some way to incorporate no name calling week into the school year!
October 15, 2019
Patience: tested.
I: am done.
I: am done.
January 26, 2022
First of all, if I could give this book zero stars, I would. The misfits is an unrealistic, stereotypical, and frankly absurd book with some of the worst writing I have ever laid my eyes upon. The plot is weak and nonsensical, the characters are one-dimensional and stereotypical, and the style of writing and grammar are just repulsive.
The characters are one of the worst written parts of this book. They're unrealistic and one dimensional. James Howe is unbelievably bad at character design and development. There is no development of their characters throughout the book, and they have only one main trait which has been amplified to an entire personality.
The character Addie is meant to be a social justice warrior but comes off as an entitled brat who believes that her opinion will change the world and that no one else’s opinions matter but her own. She’s constantly being snotty and is even racist in one of the scenes, despite the fact she’s trying to speak for the minority, which, in her mind, only means black people.
Skeezie is a stereotypical bad boy who wears leather jackets and whose only purpose is to provide lousy comic relief.
Bobby is the bland narrator who pretty much has no reason to be bullied, except for the fact that he's fat, but that’s only mentioned halfway through the book by none other than himself. He's the classic good guy. No one actually bullied him. Bobby has no other traits other than being the dull narrator. The only memorable thing about him is that he has a major crush on Joe’s aunt, Pam, which is just gross considering Bobby is twelve and Pam is at least in her 20's. His only purposeful moment is when he gives a so-called 'moving' speech at the end of the book.
The character Joe is probably one of the most problematic characters. It is heavily hinted at that he is gay and it’s not subtle at all. His entire existence enforces gay stereotypes so much that any child will most likely think that this is what gay people look and act like. Being flamboyant doesn’t necessarily mean someone is gay. It would be refreshing if James Howe had used Joe to preach the idea that not all gay people are like the feminine stereotype Joe is made out to be. The only arguably good character is Tonnie, an African American girl who calls Addie out for being racist.
The next problem with this book is the plot. The Misfits is a story about a group of kids who don't fit in at school and get picked on. They try to change things by coming up with a running for school president and starting a third political party based on the idea that students shouldn't call each other bad names. The problem is that they do fit in at school. Everyone is either casually friendly to them or just ignores them. The only rude person is Kevin, but that’s only a few times. This book is meant to describe the consequences of name-calling, but the characters aren't called that many hurtful names when they’re at middle school, which wouldn't be a problem if James Howe had provided some exposition about how they were possibly bullied in elementary school, but there’s none of that whatsoever.
Also, the whole idea of their political party that's all about no name-calling is absurd. First, no middle schooler would be as heavily moved as they are by Bobby’s speech near the end of the book. Also, the whole party is about how hurtful name-calling is, but wouldn't it have been a better idea for them to make a party against bullying in general? Mostly because it would have more depth if they had chosen something like physical violence, or exclusion, not something as childish as name-calling. While name-calling can be a serious issue, such as calling someone racial slurs, they don’t demonstrate this in the misfits.
Another unrealistic part of this book is some of the scenes. One of the scenes is when Addie wants to ask one of the black kids to be president of their campaign purely because he’s a minority. Tonnie (one of the only good characters) calls Addie out on her crap. In the end, though, the kid they wanted to be president (DuShawn) accepts, and the whole cafeteria bursts into cheers. First of all, no middle schoolers would care what the heck was going on. Second is that if they are true 'misfits', then wouldn’t everyone in the cafeteria just laugh at them? Or they just wouldn’t care about them, because, as they have said that they are insignificant. Not to mention the fact that DuShawn, would probably not even acknowledge them.
The romance. Argh, the romance. Are you kidding me? I had to sit through the awkwardness of Skeezie and Steffi. It was just so bad. First of all, Steffi's working at a freaking diner. She has to be at least 16. Also, the fact that everyone got together at the end feels way too forced.
In conclusion, this is an obnoxious, absurd, unrealistic book about a childish topic. It could have been written really well. Nevertheless, the plot is weak, and the characters are overly stereotyped. You could sum this book up in one sentence, name-calling is bad. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Goodnight.
The characters are one of the worst written parts of this book. They're unrealistic and one dimensional. James Howe is unbelievably bad at character design and development. There is no development of their characters throughout the book, and they have only one main trait which has been amplified to an entire personality.
The character Addie is meant to be a social justice warrior but comes off as an entitled brat who believes that her opinion will change the world and that no one else’s opinions matter but her own. She’s constantly being snotty and is even racist in one of the scenes, despite the fact she’s trying to speak for the minority, which, in her mind, only means black people.
Skeezie is a stereotypical bad boy who wears leather jackets and whose only purpose is to provide lousy comic relief.
Bobby is the bland narrator who pretty much has no reason to be bullied, except for the fact that he's fat, but that’s only mentioned halfway through the book by none other than himself. He's the classic good guy. No one actually bullied him. Bobby has no other traits other than being the dull narrator. The only memorable thing about him is that he has a major crush on Joe’s aunt, Pam, which is just gross considering Bobby is twelve and Pam is at least in her 20's. His only purposeful moment is when he gives a so-called 'moving' speech at the end of the book.
The character Joe is probably one of the most problematic characters. It is heavily hinted at that he is gay and it’s not subtle at all. His entire existence enforces gay stereotypes so much that any child will most likely think that this is what gay people look and act like. Being flamboyant doesn’t necessarily mean someone is gay. It would be refreshing if James Howe had used Joe to preach the idea that not all gay people are like the feminine stereotype Joe is made out to be. The only arguably good character is Tonnie, an African American girl who calls Addie out for being racist.
The next problem with this book is the plot. The Misfits is a story about a group of kids who don't fit in at school and get picked on. They try to change things by coming up with a running for school president and starting a third political party based on the idea that students shouldn't call each other bad names. The problem is that they do fit in at school. Everyone is either casually friendly to them or just ignores them. The only rude person is Kevin, but that’s only a few times. This book is meant to describe the consequences of name-calling, but the characters aren't called that many hurtful names when they’re at middle school, which wouldn't be a problem if James Howe had provided some exposition about how they were possibly bullied in elementary school, but there’s none of that whatsoever.
Also, the whole idea of their political party that's all about no name-calling is absurd. First, no middle schooler would be as heavily moved as they are by Bobby’s speech near the end of the book. Also, the whole party is about how hurtful name-calling is, but wouldn't it have been a better idea for them to make a party against bullying in general? Mostly because it would have more depth if they had chosen something like physical violence, or exclusion, not something as childish as name-calling. While name-calling can be a serious issue, such as calling someone racial slurs, they don’t demonstrate this in the misfits.
Another unrealistic part of this book is some of the scenes. One of the scenes is when Addie wants to ask one of the black kids to be president of their campaign purely because he’s a minority. Tonnie (one of the only good characters) calls Addie out on her crap. In the end, though, the kid they wanted to be president (DuShawn) accepts, and the whole cafeteria bursts into cheers. First of all, no middle schoolers would care what the heck was going on. Second is that if they are true 'misfits', then wouldn’t everyone in the cafeteria just laugh at them? Or they just wouldn’t care about them, because, as they have said that they are insignificant. Not to mention the fact that DuShawn, would probably not even acknowledge them.
The romance. Argh, the romance. Are you kidding me? I had to sit through the awkwardness of Skeezie and Steffi. It was just so bad. First of all, Steffi's working at a freaking diner. She has to be at least 16. Also, the fact that everyone got together at the end feels way too forced.
In conclusion, this is an obnoxious, absurd, unrealistic book about a childish topic. It could have been written really well. Nevertheless, the plot is weak, and the characters are overly stereotyped. You could sum this book up in one sentence, name-calling is bad. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Goodnight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2024
I loved it so much in middle school… maybe it’s because the way it was written
November 3, 2014
Bobby is a 12 year old tie salesman who is part of a group at his school. They are not the most popular kids and people always call them names, but they don't care what other people think. The gang of five consists of 4 kids; Addie, Bobby, Joe and Skeezie. Skeezie is the cool person of the group, hair slicked back and leather jackets. Addie is the independent person, and stands for her own opinion. Joe is the girly one of the group, always having one fingernail painted. Finally bobby is the laid back one, always quiet. Addie wants to run for Vice President, and wants to ask a boy named DuShaun Carter to be president. He agrees.
The gang ends up not doing the freedom party, but they rename it the no name calling party, which will prevent people calling each other names for a week. Addie is the president, Joe is Vice President, Bobby is the treasurer, and Skeezie is the secretary. DuShaun decides not to run for president, so it's up to the gang to win. In their more personal lives, Bobby got to talk with Mr. Kellerman and found out that he is going through the same thing he did, and Mr. Kellerman apologized about always being so mean. Joe admitted that he was gay, and that he liked Colin, a boy who Addie also likes. I can't wait to see if the gang wins the election!
I finished the misfits and the gang didn't win the election, but Bobby gave an amazing speech at the election. Colin ended up being gay, and Joe and him dated. Bobby and Kelsey ended up going to the dance together, Addie and DuShaun go to the dance together and dated for the rest of their 7th grade, and Skeezie realized love isn't bad. Bobby became a senator, Addie became a social studies teacher, Skeezie got married, and Joe became a writer. I wonder if the gang ended up staying friends in their adult lives?
The gang ends up not doing the freedom party, but they rename it the no name calling party, which will prevent people calling each other names for a week. Addie is the president, Joe is Vice President, Bobby is the treasurer, and Skeezie is the secretary. DuShaun decides not to run for president, so it's up to the gang to win. In their more personal lives, Bobby got to talk with Mr. Kellerman and found out that he is going through the same thing he did, and Mr. Kellerman apologized about always being so mean. Joe admitted that he was gay, and that he liked Colin, a boy who Addie also likes. I can't wait to see if the gang wins the election!
I finished the misfits and the gang didn't win the election, but Bobby gave an amazing speech at the election. Colin ended up being gay, and Joe and him dated. Bobby and Kelsey ended up going to the dance together, Addie and DuShaun go to the dance together and dated for the rest of their 7th grade, and Skeezie realized love isn't bad. Bobby became a senator, Addie became a social studies teacher, Skeezie got married, and Joe became a writer. I wonder if the gang ended up staying friends in their adult lives?
March 6, 2015
Kids who get called the worst names oftentimes find each other. That's how it was with us. Skeezie Tookis and Addie Carle and Joe Bunch and me. We call ourselves the Gang of Five, but there are only four of us. We do it to keep people on their toes. Make 'em wonder. Or maybe we do it because we figure that there's one more kid out there who's going to need a gang to be a part of. A misfit, like us.
Skeezie, Addie, Joe, and Bobby -- they've been friends forever. They laugh together, have lunch together, and get together once a week at the Candy Kitchen to eat ice cream and talk about important issues. Life isn't always fair, but at least they have each other -- and all they really want to do is survive the seventh grade.
That turns out to be more of a challenge than any of them had anticipated. Starting with Addie's refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance and her insistence on creating a new political party to run for student council, the Gang of Five is in for the ride of their lives. Along the way they will learn about politics and popularity, love and loss, and what it means to be a misfit. After years of getting by, they are given the chance to stand up and be seen -- not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the full, complicated human beings they are just beginning to discover they truly are.
Skeezie, Addie, Joe, and Bobby -- they've been friends forever. They laugh together, have lunch together, and get together once a week at the Candy Kitchen to eat ice cream and talk about important issues. Life isn't always fair, but at least they have each other -- and all they really want to do is survive the seventh grade.
That turns out to be more of a challenge than any of them had anticipated. Starting with Addie's refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance and her insistence on creating a new political party to run for student council, the Gang of Five is in for the ride of their lives. Along the way they will learn about politics and popularity, love and loss, and what it means to be a misfit. After years of getting by, they are given the chance to stand up and be seen -- not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the full, complicated human beings they are just beginning to discover they truly are.
October 23, 2020
I’m gonna go for it with the 5 stars. Hard to believe this backlist gem 💎 with turn twenty next year.
I read Totally Joe and told my mom that she had to read Totally Joe. But she didn’t want to read Totally Joe until she read Misfits so she ordered Misfits for overnight delivery. Then she read Misfits and insisted that I MUST read Misfits. She is now reading Totally Joe. This is how it works when you live eight minutes from your mom who is a retired school librarian.
This book is genuinely funny. And no can tell me otherwise, funny is what circulates. I remain steady with my belief that the Misfits Series belongs in an Elementary school for upper Elementary readers. My crusade continues (see Totally Joe review) ...
Yeah, Misfits takes place pre-cell phone use. Some may argue that the (lack of) technology dates the text but I disagree. When the content shines so bright, it doesn’t matter. And would it really hurt kids to picture a time without texting? Addie questioning the Pledge of Allegiance, DuShawn calling out color-blindness, Joe channeling his inner RuPaul ... some kids might not even notice.
I read Totally Joe and told my mom that she had to read Totally Joe. But she didn’t want to read Totally Joe until she read Misfits so she ordered Misfits for overnight delivery. Then she read Misfits and insisted that I MUST read Misfits. She is now reading Totally Joe. This is how it works when you live eight minutes from your mom who is a retired school librarian.
This book is genuinely funny. And no can tell me otherwise, funny is what circulates. I remain steady with my belief that the Misfits Series belongs in an Elementary school for upper Elementary readers. My crusade continues (see Totally Joe review) ...
Yeah, Misfits takes place pre-cell phone use. Some may argue that the (lack of) technology dates the text but I disagree. When the content shines so bright, it doesn’t matter. And would it really hurt kids to picture a time without texting? Addie questioning the Pledge of Allegiance, DuShawn calling out color-blindness, Joe channeling his inner RuPaul ... some kids might not even notice.
October 24, 2020
First off.. these kids are not misfits.. they are middle schoolers going through the trials of middle school..although each has their own unique issues.. not helped by the usual mean kids in their school.
Although written in 2001 this book is so relevant to today and the way people/kids treat each other..
Bobby's speech should be read out loud to as many people as possible... obviously so social media of any kind appears here [thank goodness] as that is an added dimension to what kids have to deal with now and that would have added horrors for the 'gang of five' .. but kudos to James Howe for this book.
Although written in 2001 this book is so relevant to today and the way people/kids treat each other..
Bobby's speech should be read out loud to as many people as possible... obviously so social media of any kind appears here [thank goodness] as that is an added dimension to what kids have to deal with now and that would have added horrors for the 'gang of five' .. but kudos to James Howe for this book.
November 9, 2014
In this book, Bobby, Addie, Skeezie, and Joe are the Gang of Five, a group of 4 bullying victims. They all use each other to stay strong, and away from bully's. They want to get rid of bullying and enforce freedom. So, to do that, they come up with the Freedom Party in their school election. The party represents minority's. When the party is told that they can't participate in the election, they come up with the No-Name Party. The No-Name Party represents everyone ever called a name. So they are in the election after all. This is a good book for 6th-7th grade students.
July 9, 2018
Sweet book about a group of friends who band together to push back against the negative way kids treat each other. I thought the ending was a little overly tidy with all the coupling between the characters, but a cute story. Good way for kids to think about a variety of ideas like name-calling, growing up questioning your sexuality and gender stereotypes, and other social issues. None of them are explored in great depth, but that didn’t bother me. Kids now may be puzzled by the lack of phones and technology in the book, since it did come out a while ago! Overall a quick, enjoyable read.
September 16, 2015
This book really just pissed me off. I didn't like it at all and it was even worse since I was forced to read it for school. The book talked about how bad stereotyping was but honestly, that was all the book did. I really hated this book and I can't even write a good review because I don't remember what happened in it, which just goes to show how much attention I payed to this book.
October 24, 2017
I really liked this book and the diversity of the characters in it. It went into student government which I'm normally not interested in, however this book kept me entertained. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend.
April 29, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. It taught me a lot about myself which never happened when I read books. This book taught me that normality doesn’t matter. The idea that your unique makes you fit in with the rest of the people and makes you shine as a person. Great book highly recommend it.
May 30, 2013
Are you kidding me James Howe? Really?
March 8, 2016
A must-read for Middle Schoolers. Great Grade 6 book with lots to say about fitting in and tolerance. Thoughtful, compassionate and one of those great books that leaves you hopeful.
April 25, 2022
Amazing ending and everything I wanted to happen happened and more!
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September 21, 2022REALLLLLLY GOOD BOOK
January 3, 2017
This book is one that I found at the thrift shop and I chose it based off of the description and author. I've read Howe's Bunnicula books, but I didn't know that he wrote young adult books as well. This one might technically be considered "middle grade fiction" since the characters are 12 and in middle school.
The book is written from the perspective of Bobby Goodspeed and it's about him reflecting on the time in seventh grade when him and his friends (Addie, Joe and Skeezie) ran for student council as the No Name Party. I honestly feel that their platform (name calling hurts) and slogan ("Sticks and stones may break out bones, but names will break our spirit.") is really good. The book talks about each character and what their home life is like. Our narrator, is an overweight kid working in a tie store to try to help his dad out after his mom passed away from cancer, Addie is an over achiever, Skeezie is sloppy kid with divorced parents and Joe is gay and artsy.
I think the character were well rounded and the story was well written. I like the bit at the end that tells the reader what each character became when they grew up. I would recommend this to middle and high school students.
The book is written from the perspective of Bobby Goodspeed and it's about him reflecting on the time in seventh grade when him and his friends (Addie, Joe and Skeezie) ran for student council as the No Name Party. I honestly feel that their platform (name calling hurts) and slogan ("Sticks and stones may break out bones, but names will break our spirit.") is really good. The book talks about each character and what their home life is like. Our narrator, is an overweight kid working in a tie store to try to help his dad out after his mom passed away from cancer, Addie is an over achiever, Skeezie is sloppy kid with divorced parents and Joe is gay and artsy.
I think the character were well rounded and the story was well written. I like the bit at the end that tells the reader what each character became when they grew up. I would recommend this to middle and high school students.
November 7, 2017
"In other words: people who are misfits because they're just who they are instead of 'fits' who are like everybody else."
"Because when you get down to it, thinking of somebody as 100% human seriously gets in the way of hating them."
"Some people get a royal flush and some get a pair of deuces. And some people get nothing but a string of cards that no matter how they're played will never add up to a winning hand."
"The business of really knowing people, deep down, including your own self, it is not something you can learn in school or from a book. It takes your whole being to do it -- your eyes and your ears, your brain, and your heart. Maybe your heart most of all. I feel like I have figured something out here, something important, something that I thought was hard but turns out to be pretty simple. It doesn't take a genius."
Amazing, life-changing, beautiful story!
"Because when you get down to it, thinking of somebody as 100% human seriously gets in the way of hating them."
"Some people get a royal flush and some get a pair of deuces. And some people get nothing but a string of cards that no matter how they're played will never add up to a winning hand."
"The business of really knowing people, deep down, including your own self, it is not something you can learn in school or from a book. It takes your whole being to do it -- your eyes and your ears, your brain, and your heart. Maybe your heart most of all. I feel like I have figured something out here, something important, something that I thought was hard but turns out to be pretty simple. It doesn't take a genius."
Amazing, life-changing, beautiful story!
July 12, 2018
Repeating the 7th Grade
I love stories dealing with people who don’t fit into a perfect mold. Add a group of 7th graders to the mix and you have the perfect middle school drama. James Howe may have aged up the voices of the main characters a bit, but it works. Typical school drama with socially aware kids kept me turning the pages. The story felt fun and light until real heart started showing up. The feels went off the chart during the big speech. The moments Bobby and his dad share on the pages really got to me. This is a great book if you don’t have kids, but want to borrow 4 of them for a few hours. 4.25 for a stack of pancakes.
I love stories dealing with people who don’t fit into a perfect mold. Add a group of 7th graders to the mix and you have the perfect middle school drama. James Howe may have aged up the voices of the main characters a bit, but it works. Typical school drama with socially aware kids kept me turning the pages. The story felt fun and light until real heart started showing up. The feels went off the chart during the big speech. The moments Bobby and his dad share on the pages really got to me. This is a great book if you don’t have kids, but want to borrow 4 of them for a few hours. 4.25 for a stack of pancakes.
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January 25, 2023Look this book has had some criticisms, some potentially valid, but you know what? This book was groundbreaking for me.
Why? It’s the first book I read that had a gay character in it.
It came out in 2001. Two-thousand-fucking-one. Nowadays you can find lots of queer YA books on library shelves, but back in the day, back when I was a kid, that was unheard of. It’s astonishing to me how far we’ve come.
And we still have a ways to go.
Over the years I’ve discovered that I’m queer. Whaddya know? I’m not out to the world at large, yet, but I dream of a day where I can just be without judgement, without shame.
And this book was the first stone.
Why? It’s the first book I read that had a gay character in it.
It came out in 2001. Two-thousand-fucking-one. Nowadays you can find lots of queer YA books on library shelves, but back in the day, back when I was a kid, that was unheard of. It’s astonishing to me how far we’ve come.
And we still have a ways to go.
Over the years I’ve discovered that I’m queer. Whaddya know? I’m not out to the world at large, yet, but I dream of a day where I can just be without judgement, without shame.
And this book was the first stone.
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December 2, 2014In " The Misfits" by James Howe. I found out that Joe is gay, and that he likes Colin. Addie also likes Colin. Skeezie is the go-betweener for Addie. Or in other words, he puts notes in his locker for her. The teachers made them stop the Freedom party. They came up with the no-name party. It's to stop students from being called names and being bullied anymore. The only thing different is that DuShawn dropped out from being President. Now Addie is president and Joe is vice president. I wonder if the teachers would take down this third party again. Will it work out?
July 29, 2008
This book didn't get any supergreat critical response when it came out, but I found it hilarious, engaging, and full of truly sympathetic (if not totally realistic) characters. Especially now that we're back in an election year, I bet it'd work pretty great for group discussion, and there are scenes in there that'd make for some killer Readers Theater (probably best for middle school-age kids). Rock on, Howe.
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November 10, 2014I thought this book was really important because it relates to the world now. Freedom. The key to anything. "Freedom is what makes a happy ending" says bobby. This book is teaching us how a label doesn't show who you are. name calling is what the gang of five wants to put an end to. A lot of words have been called to a lot of kids. They are also showing how this election can impact the people who call the names. overall, this book was sending as really good life lesson/message.
November 16, 2014
In chapter 18, Bobby talks to his dad about him liking a girl. At the end they end up talking about his mom. When this happened, it showed a lot about bobby and his dad as characters. Bobby says that he doesn't want to be like his dad when he's older and that shows that he wants to be better than what is dad is making him do like work for his family and live in a trailer.
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