“…Jack met with trouble – the bullying kind. For this year a new student showed up in class And then some not-quite-so-nice things came to pass…”
School is starting again for Jack’s class and this year is already turning into a doozy.
The new kid (Billy) looks like he should be a teacher – so tall and strong – and Billy immediately makes his mark on the class.
“With all of those freckles and fiery red mullet Came a look that could make you feel sick in your gullet.”
Big Billy is a bully – plain and simple – and soon he sets his eyes on Darcy Malone (a small girl who looks “odd” to the other kids).
Will Jack find the courage to stand up to Billy? Can he protect his friend Darcy? Or will Big Billy the Bully rule the school?
Overall this was quite a cute story.
I liked the rhyming cadence of the text – it was fun to read aloud and I feel like my little one enjoyed listening to the words (even if he’s too young to understand them).
The message of this story was solid – you don’t have to be bigger than the bully to make a difference and often you can make more of an impact by trying to understand your enemies rather than fight against them.
The illustrations were unique and fit well for the story. The characters were cartoonish and expressive, often showing the audience more than the text let on. And the scratchy-sketchbook style was fun for me to see – though a small part of me wished the lines were just a bit darker so I could seem them better.
The book wrapped up rather quickly but overall it worked well for me!
P.s. This is a complete side note but WOW the physical copy of this book was great! I don’t often notice these things but the overall shape, design and quality of the paper was really nice.
with thanks to the author for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Miranda Reads 