First of all, I want to say thank you to the author Dave Whamond, Kids Can Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Muddle School is a funny and realistic graphic novel about a new kid at high school. It is about the first days of high school, bullying, self-esteem, embarrassing situations, first crushes, and self-doubt.
One of the reasons why I requested this book was because the author represents bullying, and gives it the attention it deserves. Bullying needs to get more attention so more people start to understand how painful it is for victims to go through that, to survive that, to still live with that trauma.
I consider that this book should be spreaded more through social media, and schools too.
It is about physical and psychological violence. It is about holding onto the things that makes you feel more comfortable in order to calm yourself, to not to panic, to not to fall. It is about anxiety, pain, sorrow, and how a life can be so messed up because of someone who wants to destroy you.
Dave is an imaginative, creative kid. He loves drawing, and this is what is going to save him, along with his new friends. He holds onto the things that give him comfort. He has a dream, and is afraid of even fulfilling it because he has so many insecurities. He is constantly doubting about himself.
"When I got to school, I kept my head down and interacted with no one. I decided to treat high school like I was in prison."
It's a heartbreaking, sad and distressing way to live.
The author represents also how teachers behave with alumns in class. There is a part in the book when Dave is drawing, and well, he is not paying attention to his teacher, but also there is no excuse to tell him, and to treat him, the way that teacher in the book treats him. He humilliates Dave in front of the entire class This is what teachers mustn't do. They can say this in a very different way, because they do know what they can cause: laughters, humilliation. It can intensify the fear of speaking in public, as our main character has it.
(...) More on my blog! Link in bio!
