I was honestly surprised how much I truly enjoyed The Misfits by James Howe. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the way that this story was written and the multiple topics that were discussed made this book one of my top favorites. This book could fit with so many different text sets due to the many topics that were discussed. This would be a great story for middle school students to read, because James Howe made Bobby so relatable. I personally really appreciated this book because of the positive view of being yourself and the impact of having friends who support you, regardless how “cool” or “uncool” they may be. I feel as though many middle school students can relate to this, because during this time students are trying to fit in and figuring out their friend group etc. and there are many instances of bullying during these hard/awkward years. Having a friend group that accepts your differences and positively influences you to be yourself is so important and that’s what I loved most about the Gang of Five.
I also appreciated how this book discussed the topic of name-calling, especially Joe’s story of his peers calling him names because he is gay. After reading the Author notes I was able to find
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At best, such discussion can lead to an increased understanding of others, greater tolerance, self-acceptance among students dealing with such issues on a personal basis, and a decrease in name called and violence” (pg. 10). I most certainly agree with this statement. I think that discussing topics about sexual orientation are important to discuss with middle school students and also explaining the effects of name-calling. I believe that using the story The misfits in a middle school classroom would be a great book to incorporate the effects of