This review was written by: F
Received: ARC from Publisher
Publication Date of Book: August 4, 2015
Pages: 192
Stars: 5/5
Official Summary:
Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh have been walking to and from Woodbridge Academy together since elementary school. But their routine is disrupted when bully Chadd Wilson challenges Marshall to a fight. To avoid the conflict, Marshall takes a shortcut home through the off-limits woods. Tamaya reluctantly follows. They soon get lost, and they find trouble. Bigger trouble than anyone could ever have imagined.
In the days and weeks that follow, the authorities and the government become involved, and what they uncover might affect the future of the world.
My thoughts:
Fuzzy
Mud was a delightful middle grade novel. The adventure and mystery that seeped from its
pages was not only enjoyable but also imaginative. No one knows what the fuzzy mud is or how it
was created, setting up an intriguing tale that readers are sure to eat up.
I
especially enjoyed Sachar’s lovely characters. My absolute favorite would have
to be Marshall Walsh. This is largely due to the fact that, while he was afraid
of and being bullied by Chad Hilligas, he still stood up for himself. He showed
the bully that he was not frightened of him anymore. However, even though
Marshall stood up for himself, Chad still harasses him. What I really loved,
though, was how Chad explains to Marshall why he bullied him and he apologizes
to him at the end. These two then become good friends. As a result, I find that
this book has great messages for younger readers, showing them positive ways to
deal with difficult and scary situations. When Marshall stood up for himself he
was showing others that they can be brave and should speak up and defend
themselves just like he did.
There
were other parts of this book that I really enjoyed as well. For instance, when Chad was missing, Tamaya
Dhilwaddi left school to go look for him in the woods behind the school. Even
though Chad was mean to Marshall, she cared about him and wanted to find him
and lend a hand if she could. Marshall also left school to go look for Chad and
Tamaya in the woods. Tamaya found Chad, and Marshall found both Chad and Tamaya
together. All three of them had to become a team and put aside their
differences and pasts. They were lost together and had to make the best of
their current situation no matter the circumstances. I was super glad that they
were all found by the search dogs in the end and that their experiences in the woods
created a bond of friendship. This result truly emphasizes the fact that your
enemies may not be who you truly think they are and that they can turn their lives
around and become kind and caring individuals.
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