Designed like a case file, chock-full of notes, journal entries, letters, e-mails, illustrations, and more, The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter is...
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Mar 13, 2011
Beverly
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As a parent and an educator, I found Thaddeus infuriating! But I know my students will find him to be hilariously outrageous. Once I stopped reading this book with an adult's perspective and started just reading it for the wonderful entertainment it provides, I found myself really enjoying it.
Gosselink has created a character that only a mother (or perhaps a tolerant and patient teacher) could love. To put it simply, Thaddeus is so full of himself, so convinced that he knows all an More...
Gosselink has created a character that only a mother (or perhaps a tolerant and patient teacher) could love. To put it simply, Thaddeus is so full of himself, so convinced that he knows all an More...
Dec 21, 2010
MrsB
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This book may be too clever for the average middle schooler because there is a lot of inference. I, however, found it highly enjoyable. Thaddeus has been sent to ISS for the entire second semester, and this book is a compilation of journal entries, discipline reports, posters, Thaddeus "fun facts" etc. as Thaddeus attempts to explain his side of his behavior. It jumps around so much I felt like I had ADHD, but it all ties together brilliantly. As I was reading, I felt there was a l
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Nov 06, 2010
Sandra
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This was probably one of the most hilarious books I;ve read this year. Maybe I laughed so hard because as a teacher, I could see how exasperating this child could be. Yet, I could also see some things from his perspective. I kept asking myself what kind of man this kid would grow up to be with all of the energy he had.
When Thaddeus ends up in ISS, sentenced there for the rest of the year, he starts planning his case, just like a lawyer would. The letters to the principal, his attor More...
When Thaddeus ends up in ISS, sentenced there for the rest of the year, he starts planning his case, just like a lawyer would. The letters to the principal, his attor More...
Dec 12, 2011
Heather
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This book is hilarious! I laughed till I cried more times than I can remember. Not sure if kids will get all the humor when Thaddeus is trying to help but is really being insulting. One of my favorite parts is the assigning of parking spots to teachers by BMI, yes body mass index, with a "fit and trim row" closest to the building, the "heart attack waiting to happen row" in the middle and in the back row, the "whoa put down that doughnut fatso row!" All to help figh
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Aug 11, 2011
Kate
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Just OK. Suffers by comparison with "Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze," which also tells the story of a middle-school boy who is dealing with the death of a parent. Thaddeus does not grow or change in any way throughout the book, and thus the novel did not have emotional resonance for me. (Perhaps the point was that the adults changed a little bit in their greater compassion for Thaddeus, but I also wanted some change on the part of Thaddeus himself). I also found the timeline o
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Jan 05, 2011
TheSaint
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I am always looking for humorous books to add to the high school collection -- kids like comedy.
Once again I am disappointed. Not about this book, mind you. Hilarious. But the protagonist is a middle-school boy. Same for I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil... Funny, but my guys won't read it because it seems too baby-ish.
This might be a topic for another forum, but I don't understand why our talented authors can't write a funny book about older YAs. (Yes, there's humor to be had, but More...
Once again I am disappointed. Not about this book, mind you. Hilarious. But the protagonist is a middle-school boy. Same for I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil... Funny, but my guys won't read it because it seems too baby-ish.
This might be a topic for another forum, but I don't understand why our talented authors can't write a funny book about older YAs. (Yes, there's humor to be had, but More...
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Jul 13, 2011
Jessica
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Thaddeus is a quirky, funny, over-the-top middle school student who wants to do nothing more than re-think the ways things are done and make suggestions for improvements. These solutions include making a church service more fun (such as playing an electric guitar at the beginning of the service), the “appropriate” rules for the slug-bug game, and promoting nutrition for the elderly (including giving those who don’t have teeth oranges…yeah, not the best situation). However, Thaddeus’ suggestions
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Oct 26, 2010
Christiane
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Super smart seventh-grader Thaddeus presents evidence that he hopes will get him out of in-school suspension. I liked all the pictures, "fun facts", email, notes, "prison" journal entries...you definitely won't get bored by the format of the book. I can see fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid liking this. There's a hilarious part where Thaddeus questions the "artists" who come to perform in his school library (Question for the folk singer: "Do you still live with
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Sep 05, 2010
Monica
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Like the premise, design, and voice. (Thaddeus reminds me a bit of the protagonist of Josh Berg's I'm a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President.) Clever idea, well executed design-wise (along the lines of the Klise sister books -- Regarding the Fountain, etc) and a lot of fun to read. Loved Thaddeus' voice and those of his classmates. I did feel that the specific underlying family situation could have been better developed (particularly in the memos and such written by
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May 07, 2011
Ariana
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My little brother brought this book home and I started it because I didn't have anything else to read. I read it in a litttle over a day, and I laughed all the way thru it. High school kids don't get enough funny books like this one. My little brother is in 3rd grade and he thought it was kinda hard. This guy needs to write more funny stuff for teens. We need more books that have kids telling teachers not to be so boring.
Jun 27, 2011
Jesse
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This book is written from the perspective of a middle schooler who's in ISS for a number of discipline issues. Arranged as part "prison" journal and part legal defense of his actions, the story is just plain funny! I like the visual/graphic layout of the pages, and I think this would appeal to kids who are used to Wimpy Kid. It's definitely appropriate for upper elementary school kids.
Jan 11, 2011
babyhippoface
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I couldn't finish this one. I wanted to like it, I really did. I love funny books, and this one was labeled as "hilarious", so I was eager to read it. My problem? I found Thaddeus to be entirely obnoxious and disrespectful to authority, and because of that, his side of the story wasn't funny to me. I tried to imagine him as a kid who is smart but genuinely socially clueless about how his speech is perceived by others, but I just couldn't see him as anything but a smart aleck.
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Aug 12, 2011
Meredith
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Holy cow, I really liked this book. I hope the library gets it soon, so I can recommend it to kids! Thaddeus is one of those kids-thinks he is the smartest person in the world, and is therefore really annoying but also secretly hilarious. I really like the style of the book, and the fact that there is an underlying sweetness to it, even though Thaddeus is a legendary troublemaker.
Jan 05, 2011
Denise
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A funny book perfect for kids ready to move on from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." It's the collected papers of Thaddeus's defense for getting out of permanent in-school suspension. This sounds like it's told from the point of view of the jr. high version of the main character from the movie Rushmore (and if you haven't seen that hysterical movie what are you waiting for?).
Jan 22, 2011
Stacy
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This book was amusing but the style was too chaotic for me. Reading it gave me a bit of a headache and made me feel like I had an attention deficit disorder. Maybe I am just starting to get old.
I think kids would like the format but the vocabulary and some of the humor may be a little too advanced for many (although the "Thaddeus Facts" do define some of the more troublesome vocabulary).
I think kids would like the format but the vocabulary and some of the humor may be a little too advanced for many (although the "Thaddeus Facts" do define some of the more troublesome vocabulary).
Oct 22, 2010
Laura
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In this book, Gosselink combines "case files", journal entries, post-it notes, and emails to come to the defense of one Thaddeus A. Ledbetter who is soooo in trouble. Thaddeus has been put on in-school suspense FOR A YEAR! Thaddeus is also on the outs with the Boy Scouts of America though he is the most prepared boy in the world. Kids will love this tongue-in-cheek defense of a boy with nothing but good intentions and big ideas. In the spirit of Lemony Snicket, the book is filled with
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Aug 04, 2011
the book is very good.its about a boy who trys to help everybody but it all ways go's wrong its very funny and hard to explain so you should just read it( i am not good at explaining things)
Jun 11, 2011
Karen
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Great story. Similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Popularity Papers in that text is presented in numerous formats. I enjoyed this story more than the others in similar format. Thaddeus i a character that the reader can relate to yet empathize with as well. His father passed away, he tries to improve things in school, with disastrous results, which result in his 41 plus days of ISS, and his is extremely smart. His defense summary combined with letters from the principal, teache
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Jul 09, 2011
Diane
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Enjoyed this Children's book about a middle school boy dealing with his father's death. The author does a great job of handling the issue subtly and with sensitivity.
Jun 30, 2011
Kat
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I la la la loved this book. Would love to read it full-class with the "reluctant readers" I used to teach. Maybe the current teacher would let me be a guest in the room to do so.
Jun 30, 2011
Brenda
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I liked this one, a lot. Snarky and mildly hysterical. Definitely one for students who liked Origami Yoda and The Homework Machine.
Aug 06, 2011
Wonderfully snarky, funny and a deeply disturbed protagonist, with a huge heart... What more to say!
May 23, 2011
DeeAnn
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This was an easy read and had little cartoons in it and I thought it was pretty funny. I really liked it!
Jan 08, 2011
Teresa
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I loved the unique format of this book. Poor Thaddeus on a quest to improve his school, church, and scout troop without the benefit of thinking his actions through, finds himself permanently assigned to ISS. The book is his self defense, written to his principal, of why he believes he is being mistreated. His fun facts and word etymologies are a sneaky way of giving readers a little extra education. He actually has some really deep insights to the problems of education today probably because the
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Jan 12, 2011
Mary Beth
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I thought this was really funny. I'll pass it on to my not-quite-middle school age children. I hope the author writes more.
Nov 16, 2010
Adolf
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I think this book is really funny. I read it even after the buzzer went off.
Mar 16, 2011
Katie
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I really liked this book, it was hilariously funny. I would recommend it to older kids who are fans of the Wimpy Kid series.
