The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects
by Maurice Broaddus

From the publisher:
"Thelonius Mitchell is tired of being labeled. He’s in special ed, separated from the “normal” kids at school who don’t have any “issues.” That’s enough to make all the teachers and students look at him and his friends with a constant side-eye. (Although his disruptive antics and pranks have given him a rep too.)

When a gun is found at a neighborhood hangout, Thelonius and his pals become instant suspects. Thelonius may be guilty of pulling crazy stunts at school, but a criminal? T isn’t about to let that label stick. "

I didn't enjoy this book and had to force myself to finish it, even though the writing is fantastic. But this book wasn't written for me, and it deals with issues I have never had to deal with or experience. The middle schoolers this book was written for will feel very differently than I did because they are dealing with these issues every day of their young lives. It is not for every middle schooler, but the ones who come from poverty or difficult homes and who struggle with behavioral problems or bullying will definitely bond with the characters in this book. One of the main issues I had with the book is that so many problems went unresolved and I'm not really sure what message kids will take from that. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I can't really explain, but several things bothered me. I did appreciate a handful of caring and hard-working adults who were trying to help the main characters, they counteracted the handful of other pretty horrible adults. While I don't recommend this book to everyone, there is a population who can really benefit from it.

Areas of concern:
* I only remember one cuss word (*b*word), but there could have been a couple more mild cuss words.
* Bullying, bullying, bullying. Some pretty heavy stuff that mostly goes unpunished.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

School Library Journal - Grades 6-8