notesfrommyday 's review for:

There's A Boy In The Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar

5.0

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It has been a while since a book has made me cry but this one did, in a good way. This is a story about Bradley. He starts out as a bully and a 'bad kid' - the sort that sits at the back on the classroom and doesn't do his homework. Yet there is another side of him that his schoolmates don't see and this is shown to us through his make-believe play with his stuffed animals in his room. His attempts at making a friend go horribly awry and you end up rooting for this prickly character. His saviour is Carla, his guidance counsellor. She is kind and cheerful. She is entertained by his 'Bradley-ness' and he responds. As someone who is applying to be a teacher, I think this book really struck a chord. There is so much bad press about our children - they are all wild animals with no soul, if you believe the Daily Mail. But I do believe that in most cases, kindness and patience can go a long way in bringing those marginalised 'bad kids' into the heart of their society, rather than leaving them lonely and angry on the sidelines. You might think this is a very naive or idealistic point of view, but I refuse to believe that bad kids are inherently bad. I think they just live in bad situations with bad role models. I think this is a great book for children and adults alike. I have't read anything else by Sachar, including his more famous Holes, but I definitely intend to now.