Rating: 
Summary: The Misfits
Review: The Misfits Aladdin Paperbacks, 2003, 274 pp., $ 5.99
James Howe ISBN 0-689-83956-1 "These are our names: Bobby. Addie. Joe. Skeezie. These are our names. But they are only names. They don't tell you who we are." This is a book is about the gang of five, but the gang of five has only four people in it. This is because they like to keep people on their toes. The main character is a middle school age tie salesman named Bobby. The student council election is rolling around so the gang of five decides to run. First they run as the Freedom Party, because that does not succeed they run again as the no name party. Their belief is that no one should be called names. Here is their poster:
Vote for the NO-NAME PARTY-
End name-calling once and for all!
President...Addie Carle
Vice President...Joe Bunch
Treasurer...Bobby Goodspeed
Secretary...Skeezie Tookis Sticks and Stones May Break Our Bones, But Names Will Break Our Spirit I would recommend this book to age 9 to adult. I think that this was a great book. The writing was realistic so I could really get into the writing. -Sequoyah M. King
Rating:
Summary: A Third Party
Review: The Misfits Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1230, 274 pp., $16.00
James Howe ISBN 0-689-83955-3 Bobby Goodspeed is the quiet, chubby child most kids would make fun of or call names. He, along with the "Gang of five" (which is only four people), stick together even though they are the least popular kids at Paintbrush Falls Middle School. Addie, Joe, Skeezie, and Bobby deal with the harshest names that one can be called, such as: faggot, gay, fluff, geek, et cetera.
Addie has a miraculous idea to have a Third Party in the school election. She wants to stand for the right of other "misfits" throughout the school. While her idea is good, it does not go over well with her conservative teachers who only want Republicans and Democrats to run in the election. They turn down her idea, but Addie, with her friends by her side, does not give up. Bobby helps her to create a new campaign that is more directed to everybody and not just "misfits". The No Name Party is started while Bobby, Addie, Skeezie, and Joe deal with love, heartbreak, and chaos with the campaign, as well as with outside problems. I enjoyed this book very much. It combined many problems and topics that middle school kids deal with in every day life. I followed Bobby through the story as he told it and was able to relate with him. Howe does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story and having you experience what the characters are feeling. Your fingers will turn through these pages as fast as lightning. This is a great book for anyone who loves to have an opinion about anything and anyone who enjoys a book about friendship. So, do Bobby, Addie, Skeezie, and Joe win the election? Find out by picking up James Howe's book of The Misfits. You will love it until the vote is tallied.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read book
Review: The Misfits by James Howe. I really liked this book because it was about how these four kids in the seventh grade are best friends. The four charecters are Addie, Bobby, Joe, and Skeezie. They call themselves the Gang of Five. The Gang of Five meet once a week at the Candy Kitchen to talk about important issues. Bobby is the main charecter he is the one who is telling the story. He is twelve years old and he works at Awkworth & Ames. Addie is against a lot of things that has to do with the rules. The first thing she refuses to do is to say the pledge at the beginning of class. Then she started a third party in their student council elections. Joe ans Skeezie are Bobby and Addie's best friends. They all learn the meaning of love and what it's like to fall in love. They also find their true self by....
Rating: 
Summary: The Misfits
Review: The Misfits is a good book about a bunch a kids who are the bottom of the social classes in school. Life for them is hard because they are constantly being ridiculed for being different. One is fat, one is tall and smart, another looks like a ganster and the other is Homosexual. But these four kids have banned together to fight the oppression. The big thing is for them to win the student council. But their tall know-it-all leader, Addie, doesn't trust the people running the current political parties. Addie attempts to create another political party, but the platform for representing minorities does not work. Bobby, the
Rating:
Summary: The Misfits
Review: The story is about friends who are made fun of. The main charactures are Addie, Skeezie, Joe, and Jordan. They kept there spirits high even if someone made fun of them. My favorite character was Addie because she is orginized and fun to be with. Icould relate to all of them because i have been made fun of too. I have felt the same way that some of them felt. I loved the book because they go to the candy store every week and make a skit of what they talk about instead of talking it out. I would recommend this book to a person who gets made fun of. I would recommend this book because it has a good format and the book is worded well. James Howe is a wounderful writer and i hope to read more teen books by him.
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Summary: Maybe we are all a bit of a Mis-fit
Review: The story of the gang of five--Bobby, Addie, Joe and Skeezie--even though they are only 4, but that's to keep you on your toes. Besides, by the end of the book you become the 5th member. A story about name calling and how it should stop! The book calls us into action to implement a no-name day, or hopefully even a no-name week. As a middle school teacher, I believe this book would be a great jumping off point to talk about why we exclude people, or why we are excluded and how in the end that has no validity. How, names really are prejudiced and they only cover the surface of something. Because, if you looked with your heart, and you saw others as 100% human, you couldn't hate them anymore.
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Summary: A must read for middle schoolers
Review: This book is a must read for anyone in middle school. It really teaches people about name-calling, and it strongly brings out the known saying of "Treat people the way you want to be treated." Though in this book it explains this rule from a seventh grader's point of view which is a lot better than your kindergarten teacher telling it to you. I HIGHLY suggest this book for all middle schoolers or anyone who wants a good read!
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Summary: Five Stars from this ol' Misfit :)
Review: This book is wonderful. It's a very fast read; I finished it in just a couple hours. Yet those few hours were amazing, as I was transported into the long-forgotten world of middle school, and enjoyed a few moments of laughter, some tears, and a truly warm feeling in my heart. Honestly, I don't think your time will be wasted if you pick up this amazing work. The narrator of this story is Bobby, a 12-year old who describes himself rather bluntly: "A boy like me is fat." His story centers around some major events in the 7th-grade year for him and his three best friends: Addie, who's tall and smart; Joe, who's a little "too creative"; and Skeezie, who resembles the greasers of old. None of them are popular, and all of them have been given numerous nick-names by their fellow classmates. When student council elections are announced, Addie is determined to start... This book just gives me hope that new generations will do better than ours, and not have to face the cruel truth of Bobby's slogan: "Sticks and stones may break our bones, but names will break our spirit." If you have time, and don't mind strolling down memory lane a few decades ago, I think you'll enjoy it. For younger generations, slow down a bit and just see where this takes you. Hopefully, you'll feel the same way.
Rating:
Summary: A powerful novel, but...
Review: This is a very powerful novel that anyone who has ever been called a name can relate to and anyone who has called names should read. It focuses on four "misfits," who decide to create a third party for their middle school's student council elections. Along the way, they deal with issues of loss and love, while building their campaign around the platform of name calling. I would have given this four stars, but for two problems. Howe writes the book in present tense, which distracts the reader from the story, especially as the narrator occasionally seems to be looking back on these events from the future. Howe also lets his voice come through, rather than the narrators, which brought me out of the story. However, if you can overcome these slight issues, this is a fantastic book, even if you're over its target age.
Rating: 
Summary: The Misfits
Review: This is a wonderful book (for older teens) and as a person who has suffered from teasing and name calling it sounds great. My problem is that this appeared on my 10-year-old brother's reading list. When you are ten and entering the sixth grade, you do not give this book for them to read. As a high schooler I know gay people and am friends with them. I am not intolerant of them. The problem is it is recommended for 10 - 14 year olds. You grow up tremendously from these ages. I feel 12 is the earliest you should read this. I read the book and it backed me up. I read books in school that deal with many issues. I am old enough to handle it and they are not intended for younger children. This book is for older students - end of discussion.
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