Muddle School

Written and illustrated by Dave Whamond

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0486-6

144 pp.

Ages 8-13

September 2021

For every child who has ever felt nervous about starting a new school, who has been bullied, who's worried they will never make any friends, who feels like their teachers don't understand them, and who wish for do-overs for all those mistakes and embarrassing moments, Dave Whamond has your story. In fact, Muddle School is his story, and it's funny because Dave Whamond is a funny guy but also because it's so real. After all, it's everyone's story from middle school.

From Muddle School by Dave Whamond

In graphic novel format, Dave Whamond gives us David, a kid starting at a new school, wearing his father's powder-blue leisure suit, feeling a bit like an alien. He doesn't even get inside the school before a trio trash talk him and dump him and his belongings, except his new artist pens which they take, in a "Muddle" puddle. Hard to be positive sitting in a ripped and wet suit, being singled out by teachers, or eating lunch in the bathroom. 

Fortunately, he takes great pleasure in pranking his little sister, making up his own swear words and drawing. Unfortunately, his drawing is the only thing he seems to like about school. He does make a plan to take on the biggest kid, Bad Brad, but that doesn't go quite to plan. And his crush on Lisa Jordana becomes a new source of humiliation, especially when he's led astray by her friend and she comes over to his house for a birthday party when he and his trio of acquaintances dress up as the 70s band "Smooch."

From Muddle School by Dave Whamond

Not surprising that when David designs a time travel machine with new acquaintance Chad Chooloo, they set the dial for David to go back to the first day at Muddle School before everything went awry. And it works! Or does it?

From Muddle School by Dave Whamond

I suspect most middle-graders see themselves as misfits, especially as they transition from cute little kids to teens with puberty woes and more responsibilities. Middle school probably seems like a muddle to everyone. But by sharing his personal middle school woes–he appends his story with "Flash to the Future" in which he confesses to the accuracy of many of the anecdotes in Muddle School–Dave Whamond reassures young readers that they can and will get through even if it's challenging at the time and he does so with sensitivity and humour in both his text and his black pen and ink with blue digital watercolour. (Black and blue? Like a bruise? Middle school can be painful.)

 

For middle-graders who are sure they'll never make it through, refer them to Dave Whamond's Muddle School. After all, Dave Whamond became the cool grown-up who actual makes a living with his artwork, contrary to his teacher's pronouncement that he never would, and has won two Blue Spruce Awards (My Think-a-Ma-Jink, Oddrey), a Silver Birch Award (Secret Agent Y.O.U.), a Shining Willow Award (Frank and Laverne ) and numerous Reuben Awards from the National Cartoonists Society. I'd say that's pretty cool.