Joshua T. Bates Takes Charge: (Reissue)

The book is about how there is this new kid named Sean O'malley. W.V. and Jello Hayes and other bullys are picking on Sean. So Joshua has to take charge and tell someone about the NO's (nerds out). REALLY GOOD!!!!!!!

Both of my children gobbled up this delightful 1993 sequel to The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates in the second or third grade. There's great appeal in the realistic characters and dialogue. They fell in love with Joshua.Joshua was entering the fifth grade. As the school year opened, however, the class (and school) bully, Tommy Wilhelm announced plans for a new "Nerds Out" club. Still sensitive to his failure to make fourth grade on time, Joshua at first refused to stand up to the gang. That made things worse for him. They put the whole school on the defensive, but Joshua got the brunt of their nastiness--until, that is, they decided to pick on a new kid in the class who had no friends and liked Joshua. Worse, Joshua's mother told him to be nice to the new boy.The N.O.s plotted and planned and pulled a very nasty prank, which worried the entire class, and all the teachers. It was up to Joshua to set things straight. And this he did, managing to put the class bully and his clique in their place. How, I can't say.Parents, take note. This book is "just right" for kids moving on from early chapter readers. It's challenging but not too hard, and the charmer story line keeps them turning the pages. Alyssa A. Lappen

Another frustrated children's author must have written the last review, because this sequel to the sweet and hilarious The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates is every bit as wonderful as the first book. Susan Shreve is one of our best young adult writers.