The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco

BCCB

With lots of silliness and plenty of action, this is sure to be a hit with fifth-grade boys, and then some.

Children's Literature

This well written book will keep children fascinated and anxious to know what will happen next.

Max Biringer

With unexpected and hilarious twists, this book is sure to delight anyone ever subjected to playground sports.
—Harrisburg Magazine

Ed Prentiss

It has everything you could want in a story: drama, suspense, great characters, humor and, of course, dodgeball.
—President, National Dodgeball League

Children's Literature

Have you ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Well, Phillip wants to run away FROM the circus! Phillip doesn't want to be just a circus act like his parents. He wants to do something normal. He moves in with his aunt and uncle. However, he finds out that this new town is a not-so-ordinary place. Dodgeball has consumed activities and lives of the townspeople. Phillip tries to fit in but ends up being a misfit again. He doesn't mean to get into trouble but he just does. The biggest trouble he faces is when he stands up to the school bully after a dodgeball game. As a result, he ends up taking on the whole town in court! This brave boy uses some unique ways to make a town learn about responsibility, fairness, and what is best for everyone. Read about how the whole town is suddenly "hit" with the truth about dodgeball. Phillip and his friends learn a lesson about what really matters to them. This book will keep the reader interested from one chapter to the next to see what new escapades Phillip will get into. This well written book will keep children fascinated and anxious to know what will happen next. Children will love reading this for fun. Teachers may want to use it to help teach diversity in their classrooms. 2004, Dutton Children's Books/Penguin Young Readers, Ages 9 to 12.
—Cathi I. White

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Phillip Stanislaw, black sheep of his circus family, convinces his parents to let him stay with his Aunt Veola and Uncle Felix in Hardingtown, the unofficial Dodgeball Capital of the World. The 11-year-old soon discovers that a "normal life" isn't necessarily problem-free. Gym class at Hardingtown Middle School is a never-ending monotony of the town's favorite sport, made worse by both the merciless coach and the school bully/dodgeball champ. Phillip wants to protest the violent sport and decides the best way to do so is in court. With the help of a blind lawyer, he takes on the town's beloved pastime, in the process learning to appreciate his background. While the book is not entirely believable (dodgeballs fall from the sky and hit the judge on the head at a crucial moment), its subject matter (sports, bullies, and circuses) couldn't be more appealing to kids, and the humorous situations will keep the pages turning. Most of the characters achieve respectable depth, and readers will cheer Phillip's desire to stand up for others and improve his school's morale. Pair this with Carol Gorman's Dork on the Run (HarperCollins, 2002) or Doug Wilhelm's The Revealers (Farrar, 2003) for a bullying bibliography that kids will gladly read. Or, try giving it to fans of Kate Klise's Trial by Journal (HarperCollins, 2001) for another dose of kids in courtroom drama.-Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Good intentions, a clever premise, and fun facts about circus life can't compensate for a flawed presentation in this anti-bullying message thinly disguised as a middle-grade novel. Unhappy with circus life, Phillip Stanislaw just wants to run away, even though that means leaving his parents (a clown and the fat lady) behind. Sent to live with his Aunt Veola, Phillip finds that things haven't really improved. Targeted during the weekly dodgeball games at his middle school, Phillip becomes determined to fight back. How Phillip wins a lawsuit, settles an old score for his mom, and finds a way to use his minimal circus skills to feel at home in Hardingtown isn't especially believable, but it will please readers who are rooting for him. Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine just who that might be. Phillip's first-person narration isn't especially convincing, secondary characters are caricatures at best, the small-town setting fails to come alive, and the plodding action drags on far too long for the slight plot. Well-meant but not ultimately successful. (Fiction. 10-12)