She boomed out names and we stepped into lines. When she got to me she stared at the list and roared, ‘The-o-dore!’ Some creep sniggered. I stepped forward and tripped over a foot which came out from nowhere. Bumped into Mrs Anostopoulous. Big Crash. Soft landing for me.
there was dead silence as I wallowed about, trying to get off my teacher and onto my feet. Then the sniggerer sniggered again and whispered thunderously into the silence, Theo-DORK’. My fate was sealed. I was now the class dag.
Starting high school is hard – but for Theodore, it seems to be a complete disaster. On his first day he is labelled Theodork, upsets the prettiest girl in the class, offends the teacher and gets the first detention in Year Seven. And it doesn’t look like things are going to get better any time soon.
As the year progresses, Theo battles to find his place in the class, at times almost succeeding before a new obstacle arises which sees him once again despised by everyone in the class. The best times are when he is being ignored – at least when he’s invisible no one is picking on him – but the worst are when he is being severely bullied. It seems no one can help Theo – not even Theo himself.
Theodork is a funny look at a serious topic. Theo is cruelly bullied for much of the book, but his humorous first person narration and the funny situations he sometimes finds himself in, keep the story from being bogged down, without trivialising the issue.
Suitable for readers aged 10 to 14, Theodork should be well received.
Theodork, by Jessica Green
Scholastic, 2009
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