The Bully Bug

August 15, 2014
The Monsterrific series goes Kafka in its final turn. Bitten by mutant bugs that swarm out of a moldering cereal box, school bully Ludlow finds himself changing into an oversized insect-smelling with his arms, munching on raw leaves, drooling uncontrollably at the suddenly delicious odors coming from Dumpsters and garbage bins. There are scary physical changes, too. Unfortunately, the most logical allies Lud can enlist to understand and cope with his transformation are nerdy habitual victims Norman and Sebastian. Getting past years of bad experiences isn't going to be easy for either side. Moreover, like the protagonists in preceding volumes, Lud also ultimately has to choose whether to stay a monster or not. Lubar paints a sympathetic portrait of Lud as a victim himself: of nature, nurture and the low expectations of others. But despite troubles in school, he displays throughout a hidden gift for jokes and wordplay that leads in the end to a well-earned talent-show triumph. A light wash of horror over thought-provoking observations about "dumb" kids and the roots of bullying, with an admixture of comically gross bits. Illustrations not seen. (Horror. 9-11)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.