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The start of a new school year can be anxiety inducing for students under the best of circumstances, but even more so if they are starting at a new school.
When Dave’s father is transferred to a new location he and his family of “dorks” all move to the town of Muddle, forcing Dave to start the new school year at Muddle School. Dave’s unhappiness about the move bleeds into his first day experience. He expects everything to be terrible, and no surprise it is.
First there is the powder blue leisure suit his father makes him wear, then there is a run-in with bullies, later there is an incident with a snot bubble. Anything that can go wrong for Dave does go wrong. His parents keep telling him that this will be a fresh start but Dave can’t see anything to look forward to.
A few months go by and Dave continues to “muddle” his way through school when he and the few friends he has made make a time machine. Of course, Dave has to test it out. Does the time machine work? That’s for the reader to find out. But one thing is for sure, things are definitely different for Dave after the time machine experience.
This semi-autobiographical novel deals with themes of making friends, crushes, being your authentic self and dealing with bullies in a nonviolent way.
The graphics rotate between the illustrated panels and the notebook that Dave draws in throughout the story. The illustrations and style of the story are very similar to James Paterson’s Middle School series as well as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and would be a good match for readers who enjoyed those series.
While the message of the story is fairly obvious and tied up neatly at the end, this is a worthwhile read for grades 5-8. Outside of middle school grades this story may hold less interest as it is specifically about dealing with middle school rather than just the concept of school in general.
Overall this is a solid read for anyone starting or going to middle school. Dave is a funny, awkward, lovable character who just wants to fit in and make friends. Along with a lot of mistakes, he learns to be himself and that being kind and friendly makes a world of difference in his day-to-day life.
Thank you to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
