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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

READ THIS: The Dunderheads By Paul Fleischman

This is strange book about strange children. However, their individual behaviors and talents become intriguing. Every person can relate to a terrible teacher they once had. But Mrs. Breakbone takes the cake. You cheer and root for the Dunderheads for any kind of revenge and justice they can get. After just a couple of pages you will want to join the Dunderheads on their quest to really give it to Mrs. Breakbone. So enjoy the quirkiness of the illustrations and the characters. A book to bring out the very best in each individual.

Dunderheads: The name given to a class full of misfits (or so it may seem) by their teacher. Miss Breakbone: The teacher who gave the class of misfits the name, Dunderheads. Miss Breakbone hates kids. Especially the Dunderheads. When she crosses the line one day, this group of misfits comes together to teach her a lesson! Paul Fleischman has created an intriguing world of misfits and a terrifying teacher all who draw the reader into their weird, compelling world. David Roberts provides illustrations that perfectly compliment Fleischman's story. I highly recommend this unique, intriguing read! 

Paul Fleischman is one of my favorite authors. When I saw The Dunderheads, I couldn't believe I had almost forgotten about this gem of a book. When I read it out loud to my class for the first time, they were laughing and on the edge of their seats. They loved the suspense to see how The Dunderheads were going to outsmart their teacher. I had a request to read it again after I had just finished it, they loved it so much. Each student could identify with one of the characters from the book, which many of them thought was cool. It taught them that each of them has unique qualities about them and they need to embrace them. It reminded me that I often overlook their uniqueness sometimes and that we need to embrace it!

The Dunderheads is a fun and silly book. The story is so cute for children of older ages. The story is rewarding. The innocent underdogs conquer the bully. The writing is very entertaining and so are the illustrations. I love how intriguing both the story and artwork is. You can see the amazing and unique expressions on the drawings. This is a great addition to any library. 

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Dunderheads, unite! A tyrannical teacher gets her just due in a delightfully
subversive, outrageously funny tale by Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman.

Miss Breakbone hates kids. Especially the time-squandering, mindwandering, doodling, dozing dunderheads in her class. But when she confiscates Junkyard’s crucial find, she finally goes too far. Enter Wheels (and his souped-up bike with forty-eight extra gears), Pencil (who can draw anything from memory), Spider (look up and you’ll find him), and their fellow misfits in a spectacular display of teamwork aimed at teaching Miss Breakbone a lesson she won’t soon forget. From the incomparable Paul Fleischman comes a winning cast of underdogs -- and one of the most terrifying teachers you’ll ever meet -- brought to vivid life in David Roberts’s quirky, hilarious illustrations. 









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