Rating: My bookshelf

Reading Level: Middle School

A kid wakes up in the hospital to find out he can’t remember who he is. He doesn’t recognize the people around him, but grows to discover that he was a bully. The bonk on the head seems to give him a chance to reconsider his values and try to become a new person. But even with no memory, old habits (and old friendships) make it tough to climb out of the rut.

Possible Concerns:

  • Bullying. Kids get slammed in lockers, shoved into drinking fountains, pranked with explosives, and sprayed with fire extinguishers. The author attempts to help readers realize that the the act of bullying devalues the victims and leads them to think they don’t matter.
  • References to kids as nerds, dorks, and dweebs. The moral of the story is that others have value, but some of the references are fairly condescending.
  • Divorce. The father has a new wife and a new life.
  • Stealing. The main character discovers he stole a very important object from an elderly man.
  • Poor treatment of the elderly. The bullies are sentenced to community service in an old-age home. They call the residents Dumbledoors and Dumbledoras. They are disrespectful and they steal from a woman who has dementia. Part of the story is that the new main character respects the residents, but nevertheless the poor attitudes are there, even if they are a contrast.
  • Ego. The superficial father is obsessed with football and with getting ahead in life.
  • Jaded Military Veteran. A crotchety old military veteran has a rather jaded view of his medal of honor, and is rather disrespectful about some of his past. Veterans and their families might not appreciate this particular man’s take on things.
  • Romance. One kid crushes on an airheaded girl who has eyes only for the football star. Another unlikely crush develops between two main characters. No kissing or PDA is included, but emotions are there.

Overall, I think this is one of Gordon Korman’s best. The transformation of the main character is moving, and the characters are complex. References to dorks and dweebs and social caste systems are there, but less demeaning than in others of his books.

The hesitation: the main characters are middle school kids, which would suggest the intended audience is late elementary. But the drama, romance, and plot are more suitable for middle school kids. I wish he’d written the plot to be about high schoolers.

I liked this a big better than Slugfest, because it wasn’t as demeaning to nerdy kids. The two books have similar messages, though, of valuing and uplifting the social outcasts.