Synopses & Reviews
Meet Joe Bunch. Lovable misfit and celebrity wannabe from Paintbrush Falls, New York. Like his longtime best friends Addie, Skeezie, and Bobby, Joe's been called names all his life. So when he's given the assignment to write his alphabiography the story of his life from A to Z Joe has his doubts. This whole thing could be serious ammunition for bullying if it falls into the wrong hands.
But Joe discovers there's more to the assignment and his life than meets the eye. Especially when he gets to the letter C, which stands for Colin Briggs, the coolest guy in the seventh grade (seriously) and Joe's secret boyfriend.
By the time Joe gets to the letter Z, he's pretty much bared his soul about everything. And Joe's okay with that because he likes who he is. He's Totally Joe, and that's the best thing for him to be.
Here is an exuberant, funny, totally original story of one boy's coming out and coming-of-age.
Review
"What might have been purposeful in less-skilled hands is here a delightful, moving, realistic portrayal of a young teen coming to terms with being gay, and all that entails." Children's Literature
Review
"[T]he approach is novel and the conclusion optimistic." School Library Journal
Review
"Howe has created a character that lives and breathes with all of the inconsistencies, fears and longings of your normal average seventh-grade homosexual." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"This funny, inspiring novel may help give gay YAs hope and everyone the courage to speak out against discrimination; readers both gay and straight will enjoy the experience of seeing life through Joe's eyes." KLIATT
Synopsis
"Everybody says you and Colin were kissing." "What? That's ridiculous "
"For heaven's sake, Joe, if you and Colin want to kiss, you have every right to."
"We did not kiss," I told her.
Addie shrugged. "Whatever."
What was it with my friends?
From the creator of The Misfits, the book that inspired NATIONAL NO NAME-CALLING WEEK, comes the story of Joe Bunch....
Synopsis
Joe Bunch breaks down his life--and his secrets--for a school assignment in this second book of the funny, heartfelt, and beloved Misfits series by Bunnicula author James Howe. What can I say? I'm a total original.
Joe may only be twelve-going-on-thirteen, but he's known who he is from the time he was a little kid tottering around in his mother's high heels. Now in the seventh grade, he wears green high tops with pink trim, has a (secret) boyfriend, and tells it all from A to Z in the alphabiography assigned by his favorite teacher. The thing is, some of it is seriously private. It's one thing for Mr. Daly to read it, but what if it falls into the wrong hands? Will he be teased forever about those high heels...and even worse, what will happen if his secret boyfriend is no longer a secret?
Synopsis
Joe Bunch breaks down his life--and his secrets--for a school assignment in this second book of the funny, heartfelt, and beloved Misfits series by Bunnicula author James Howe.What can I say? I'm a total original. Joe may only be twelve-going-on-thirteen, but he's known who he is from the time he was a little kid tottering around in his mother's high heels. Now in the seventh grade, he wears green high tops with pink trim, has a (secret) boyfriend, and tells it all from A to Z in the alphabiography assigned by his favorite teacher. The thing is, some of it is seriously private. It's one thing for Mr. Daly to read it, but what if it falls into the wrong hands? Will he be teased forever about those high heels...and even worse, what will happen if his secret boyfriend is no longer a secret?
Synopsis
andlt;bandgt;"Everybody says you and Colin were kissing." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; "What? That's ridiculous!" andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; "For heaven's sake, Joe, if you and Colin want to kiss, you have every right to." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; "We did not kiss," I told her. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Addie shrugged. "Whatever." andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; What was it with my friends?andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt; From the creator of andlt;iandgt;The Misfitsandlt;/iandgt;, the book that inspired NATIONAL NO NAME-CALLING WEEK, comes the story of Joe Bunch....
About the Author
James Howe is the author of more than ninety books for young readers, including the modern classic andlt;iandgt;Bunniculaandlt;/iandgt; and its highly popular sequels. In 2001, Howe published andlt;iandgt;The Misfitsandlt;/iandgt;, the story of four outcast seventh-graders who try to end name-calling in their school. andlt;i andgt;The Misfitsandlt;/iandgt; is now widely read and studied in middle schools throughout the country, and was the inspiration for the national movement known as No Name-Calling Week (NoNameCallingWeek.org), an event observed by thousands of middle and elementary schools annually. There are three companion novels to andlt;iandgt;The Misfitsandlt;/iandgt;: andlt;iandgt;Totally Joe andlt;/iandgt;(2005), andlt;iandgt;Addie on the Inside andlt;/iandgt;(2011), and andlt;iandgt;Also Known as Elvis andlt;/iandgt;(2014). Howeand#8217;s many other books for children from preschool through teens frequently deal with the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.