Does learning this important fact about Bobby’s life enable us to understand him better? Why do you think the author chose to withhold this information about Bobby until halfway through the story? We don’t learn that Bobby’s mother has died until halfway through the novel.Which characters “celebrate their individuality” more than others? Celebrating one’s individuality is a strong theme throughout The Misfits.Do you like this style of writing? Did it help you to learn more about the characters as you were reading? Part of the story is written in prose and part of it is in a play format. The Misfits is a uniquely written novel.Why do you think the author chose the character of Bobby Goodspeed to tell the story of The Misfits? Could you see another character narrating the novel instead? How would the novel be different with another narrator? How is Bobby wise beyond his years?.Finally, they are going to stand up and be seen-not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the full, complicated human beings they are just beginning to discover they truly are.

After years of insults, the Gang of Five is determined to stop name-calling at their school. It’s a year in which they learn about politics and popularity, love and loss, and what it means to be a misfit. Starting with Addie’s refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance and her insistence on creating a new political party to run for student council, the Gang of Five, as the four friends call themselves, is in for the year of their lives. And surviving seventh grade looks like it’s not going to be easy. They’re used to being called names, but they know they’re better than the names they’re called.īesides, they’ve always had each other when times got tough.

« “Howe tells the truth about the pain and anger caused by jeers and name-calling in a fast, funny, tender story that will touch readers.” - Booklist, starred reviewīobby, Skeezie, Addie, and Joe are “the misfits.” Bobby is fat. An upbeat and reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate their individuality.” - Publishers Weekly

Pinky and Rex by James Howe