Sixth-grader Max Quigley doesn't hurt people on purpose, but he certainly enjoys making trouble. His "antisocial" behavior makes him an unlikely friend for Triffin Nordstrom, aka "Nerdstrom," whose mother conspires with Max's parents to have them spend time together; Max will get help with his math and Triffin with his social skills. While the results of this parental intervention may be predictable, middle-grade readers will still be engaged by the process. This Australian import looks at bullying from the inside. Max tells his story in the first person, illustrating it with occasional line drawings on notebook paper. His self-justifying voice is convincing; readers will be sucked into going along with his worldview and just as surprised as he is when playful fighting becomes real. Straightforward chronology, believable dialogue, self-contained chapters, and plenty of humor make this accessible to reluctant readers and particularly appealing to boys who may see a bit of themselves in this realistic school story.

Sunny Holiday's mother works and goes to night school and her father is in prison. In the spirit of staying positive, Sunny decides there should be more kid-friendly holidays during the year. While figuring out how to get "some jiggle for January," she also finds ways to help her inner-city community. Sunny's infectious personality will carry readers through to the high-spirited ending.

Sixth grader Max's casual torment of those around him (schoolmates, cafeteria ladies, anyone weaker) amuses him in a confident, self-centered way and is rarely challenged. Max's relentless stirring of the pot and his genuinely aggrieved response when disapproval ensues are fairly funny, as are his cartoon depictions of his point of view. Technically, Max claims, he is not a bully, as bullies steal lunches and punch and hurt other people. The exceptions will give adults pause, but serve to underscore Max's problem of easy disregard for those around him. When he and his brother replace facial scrub with peanut butter, one of his mother's beauty-care clients nearly dies—and Max is aghast but defensive. Finally his shy classmate "Nerdstrom's" mother devises, with Max's mother, a plan to have each boy spend time with and share his strengths with the other, and Max is dumbfounded. Roy gives the subsequent rapprochement and genuine growth in Max's humanity a light touch and some realistic stumbling blocks, in a not unsympathetic look at bullying from the other side. (Fiction. 9-13)

Gr 3-6 In this story set in Australia, 12-year-old Max Quigley intimidates his weaker classmates while his best mate, Jared, acts as the physical enforcer of his friend's ideas. Max sees himself not as a bully but as a prankster capitalizing on the obvious shortcomings of his peers. His primary target is a pale, bookish boy, Triffin Nordstrom ("Nerdstrom"). Through an attempt to end the conflict, Triffin's quirky mother and Max's parents devise a plan to have the boys spend time alone together on a weekly basis. Both children detest this arrangement, although glints of hope manage to break through when, at the end of the story, Max comes to Nerdstrom's aid during a particularly harrowing time for him. Roy has created a totally unlikable character in Max, especially since he refuses to accept any responsibility for his cruel and sometimes dangerous actions. Many of the atrocities inflicted on his victims may have a perverse humorous intent, and the adults do not always challenge these behaviors effectively. Line drawings "by Max" depict his attitude well. This book could prompt discussion in a variety of situations. D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH