Saturday, August 1, 2015

Book Review | FUZZY MUD by Louis Sachar

   Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar
August 4, 2015;
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Be careful. Your next step may be your last.
Fifth-grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy together since elementary school. But their routine is disrupted when bully Chad Hilligas challenges Marshall to a fight. To avoid the conflict, Marshall takes a shortcut home through the off-limits woods. Tamaya, unaware of the reason for the detour, reluctantly follows. They soon get lost. And then they find trouble. Bigger trouble than anyone could ever have imagined.
In the days and weeks that follow, the authorities and the U.S. Senate become involved, and what they uncover might affect the future of the world. ~ Goodreads
Multi-awarded author LOUIS SACHAR stepped up and wrote a book that will challenge our dependence on industrialization, advanced technology, and consumerism, wherein we often sacrifice nature and human well-being.

In a taut series of events, readers will get to know Marshall, Tamaya, and Chad from Heath Cliff, Pennsylvania. They are students of the exclusive Woodridge School for young bright minds. The woods beyond the school perimeter is off-limits, but that’s exactly where the catastrophe started and had put everyone in Heath Cliff in peril.

Louis Sachar and his kind is a rarity –authors who write about middle graders and understand the issues they are going through –wanting to belong, bullying, and the need for a compassionate and sturdy family –things adults mostly overlook. Their writings remind people of caring for others and being accountable for their actions. Those are very evident here in his new book.

FUZZY MUD weaved suspense, school life, and friendship together into a cautionary tale about our uncontrollable yearning for energy sources and our total disregard for its adverse effects. I really love how this story turned into a sympathetic and accessible instrument for kids, despite the heaviness of the theme.

Head out and buy a copy on August 4.


Book details:
Title: Fuzzy Mud
Author: Louis Sachar
Publication: August 4, 2015; Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Children’s Literature (10 and up)
Rating: ★★★★


*Thank you Random House Children's Books and Netgalley for lending me a copy in exchange for this unbiased review.



2 comments:

  1. I haven't read any Louis Sachar after Holes, and that was years ago! Wasn't able to read the sequel to that either. :(

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  2. The sequel took a different route altogether, featuring Theodore's new adventures instead, but it's a story that can stand on its own. I'm a sucker for Sachar (pun intended),hehehe. I'm an adult who loves reading the Sideways Stories! :)

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