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There's a Boy in the Girls' BathroomLouis Sachar
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
by Louis Sachar
Bradley is the worst-behaved boy in the fifth grade and everybody has given up on him, including Bradley, until a new counsellor does not.
A story about children, funny and thoughtful in tone. We would put it with children of 9–12, and at a reading age of about 9 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Bullying
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Bradley Chalkers is the most difficult, disliked boy in the school — a liar and a bully who sits alone at the back — until a new school counsellor sees something in him that no one else does, and slowly, haltingly, gives him a chance to change. Louis Sachar, long before Holes, wrote this warm, funny, genuinely moving novel about a troubled child, and it is remarkable for its compassion: Bradley is exasperating, but the reader comes to understand and root for him utterly. It deals honestly with unhappiness, friendlessness and the hard work of changing, but with humour and hope throughout, and nothing frightening. For a nine- to twelve-year-old it is a superb, big-hearted read that quietly builds empathy for the difficult kid in every classroom, and one of those books that can genuinely help a struggling child feel understood. Funny, kind and wise — Sachar at his most humane.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Bill's New FrockAnne Fine
Billionaire BoyDavid Walliams
Cloud BustingMalorie Blackman
Crater LakeJennifer Killick
Dork DiariesRachel Renée Russell
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.