The Misfits by James Howe

This book is about a group of four close friends in middle school who are not so popular. They are sick of being teased and called names so they make a new political party in school called the No-Name Party. They end up losing the elections but have made an impact in their school.

Overall, on a scale from 1-10 I would give this book an 8. It was a quick, easy read but I felt that it took awhile to get to the plot of the story. And once you reached the climax, it just ended. I do agree that background information is important but I felt that this was too much in the beginning or not enough at the end. On the other hand, the author did a great job of making the characters come to life and I think everyone can either relate to a character or they know someone who is like the character. I also liked that the last chapter explained what happened to the characters when they grew up. I am the type of reader who likes to know what has happened to the characters; I don't like to leave it all up to my imagination.

I think the topic being discussed is very important because I think all kids at some point in their life are bullied, teased, or called names. This book could be an inspiration and comfort to all those awkward middle schoolers. I think using this book to promote your own No-Name Party would be a great idea. I would recommend this book for kids ages 10-14.