Barjo

by Michael Coleman, Ariane Bataille (Traduction)

Daniel, un intellectuel, et Tozeur, l'idiot de la classe, sont devenus les têtes de Turc du lycée depuis l'arrivée d'Axelmann, un nouveau prof de gym qui les a surnomnés Einstein et King Kong. Leurs parents les obligent à participer à un camp de vacances organisé par Axelmann, qui va tout faire pour les humilier et les manipuler pour qu'ils se ha͏ïssent.

Genres: Survival, School, Novels, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 1998

About the author

Coleman was born in Forest Gate, a suburb in east London. Not long after he was born, his family moved a few miles east to Barking. At the time of his arrival, the area was just starting to recover from the damage it had received during World War II. He lived in a house on Bevan Avenue, named after Aneurin Bevan the architect of the National Health Service. He lived in that estate for 20 years. The area helped develop Coleman's love of sport due to the oblong shaped lanes of grass leading up the estate, which could be used as mini-stadiums. He pretended to play at various sporting events of the time, e.g. the Melbourne Olympics of 1956, the soccer Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, and the games at Lords Cricket ground. He still has medals he won for being school champion in the 100m sprint and the long jump. As said by Coleman himself "My information series Foul Football tries to convey some of the magic I felt about the game of soccer by relating the weird and wonderful history of the game and the personalities it has seen over the years. On the fiction side, my series about a junior soccer team called Angels FC tries to bring out the humour and sheer fun that you’ll find at the heart of the game when it’s played by youngsters who don’t even know how to spell the word cynicism." Coleman had his first children’s book published when he was 46 years of age. He has also said: "I didn't [want to become a writer] at first. I used to teach computer science at a university and my first book was a boring one about computers. I livened it up by putting a few jokes in. At the end I thought I'd try writing a few more things, but this time forgetting about the computers and concentrating on the jokes. After lots of failures I realised that youngsters enjoy jokes more than adults and started writing for them. Eighty books later, I'm still doing it...I write both fact and fiction. The Foul Football series are favourite fact books, simply because they're about football. On the fiction side, I'm just finishing a trilogy called The Bearkingdom. They're dark and scary, quite different to anything I've written before."

Reviews

[Manybooks]

When in Michael Coleman's 1998 middle grade novel Weirdo's War teenaged math genius Daniel Edwards (the unfortunate "Weirdo" of the book title, and oh brother, do I actively dislike said moniker, as it just oozes with below the surface negativity and equally automatically seems to assume and even insinuate that the main protagonist is in fact and indeed annoying and majorly strange) is thrown together against his will with a group of brawny bullying jocks and a hugely sadistic physical education teacher (a Mr. Axelmann, who absolutely despises Daniel and constantly harasses him at school) at a survival boot camp, the result is of course predictably and not surprisingly horribly disastrous. For Weirdo's War certainly shows how poor Daniel sadly must endure routine taunts and various forms of humiliation at the camp (and for me annoyingly, frustratingly stereotypical, same old, same old being textually depicted by author Michael Coleman) before one particularly cruel prank puts Daniel Edwards' life in real danger, with one of the "campers" tampering with a map and when Daniel and his partner Tozer (who is also one of Daniel's chief tormentors) predictably follow the wrong path during a hike (due to the doctored up map), they fall into a cave and cannot find a way out. Thus as the hope for rescue grows ever dimmer, Daniel and Tozer finally (and also unsurprisingly in a really majorly clichéd sort if manner) begin talking honestly for the first time, sharing their fears and vulnerabilities, with the bond of trust that is formed in the cavern ultimately being an important lifeline (basically that by setting aside their animosities and working together cooperatively, Daniel and Tozer in Weirdo's War not only manage to save themselves but also the unconscious and severely injured Mr. Axelmann, who also had for some reason stumbled into the same trap).

Juxtaposing with Weirdo's War Daniel Edwards' memories of ridicule (in a series of flashbacks that basically and frustratingly artificially not to mention quite rigidly start each and every chapter) with his more immediate problem of finding an escape route from the cave for himself, Tozer and Mr. Axelmann, Michael Coleman produces a story that is I guess at least on the surface decently enough suited for young readers who enjoy survival and adventure stories. But sorry and personally speaking (for both my inner child and my adult reading self), Weirdo's War just does not at all do all that much for me textually, with Coleman's water and rock metaphors (that are supposed to symbolise Daniel's conflicts with his bullies) and the entire storyline being woefully derivative, predictable and something that has indeed been told over and over again, and with ALL of the presented characters, from nerdy Daniel Edwards to his bullies being horribly stereotyped (and with Mr. Axelmann's depiction reminding me of a typical and stock like fairy tale like villain). And while there never is in Weirdo's Revenge any doubt that Daniel and Tozer will indeed and even rather easily find a solution and manage to escape from the cave triumphantly and also rescue Mr. Axelmann, well I certainly do want a bit more doubt (and less predictable clichés), and yes, the only part of Weirdo's Revenge which I actually have found truly acceptable and realistic is that Michael Coleman fortunately does not end his story with Daniel and Tozer now becoming firm friends. Because indeed, a conclusion for Weirdo's Revenge of suddenly there being not an uneasy bond and understanding for Daniel Edwards and Tozer but instead a jack-in-the box surprising and firm companionship developing would make Weirdo's Revenge much much too saccharine (and that Michael Coleman does not seem to fall into this narrative trap is certainly appreciated and most definitely the main if not even the only reason why my rating for Weirdo's War is not two but a low three star rating).

[Dan Gorman]

I'd forgotten the name, but the plot stuck in my head. This was a pretty good story of bullying and courage.

[Massimo]

This book talks about Daniel a student that is being bullied at school because he is a "Weirdo". When Daniel finds out that he needs to go on a field trip with his bullies, it is a nightmare for him. throughout the field trip certain events happen that may help Daniel create a better relationship with his bullies. Read the book "Weirdo's War" by Michael Coleman to find out what happens next.

[Sue]

a good quick book for 7th grade summer reading. i think it has a good message about bullying - don't pick on the smart different kid - he may save your butt one day! i think it will appeal to jr high boys and girls to some extent.

[Frane]

prevod v slovenščino:
Čudakov boj; zbirka NA ROBU, založba Grlica

Včasih raje posežem po mladinskih knjigah, še posebej, če so bile nominirane za pomembne nagrade ali so jih prejele. Ta knjiga je bila nominirana za Carnegie Medal, Lancashire Children's Book Award in Writers' Guild Award.
Zgodba spremlja dogajanje v osnovni šoli, predvsem pa med naravoslovnim taborom, kjer naj bi se učenci učili sodelovanja, medsebojne pomoči in predvsem zaupanja drug drugemu.
V ospredju je tema vrstniškega nasilja. Prikazuje, kako lahko otrok postane žrtev zaradi svoje drugačnosti, bodisi zaradi videza, osebnostnih lastnosti ali drugih posebnosti, ki ga ločijo od vrstnikov. Knjiga opozarja na posledice izključevanja ter na pomen razumevanja in sprejemanja drugih.
Pripoved ostaja napeta vse do konca. Sedanje dogajanje avtor postopoma osvetljuje s pogostimi skoki v bližnjo preteklost, ki bralcu razkrivajo vedno nove podrobnosti in pomagajo bolje razumeti ravnanje posameznih likov.
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Sometimes I prefer reading children's or middle-grade books, especially when they have been nominated for or have received literary awards. This book was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, the Lancashire Children's Book Award, and the Writers' Guild Award.
The story takes place in a primary school and focuses mainly on an outdoor school trip, where the boys are expected to learn cooperation, mutual support, and, above all, trust in one another.
At its heart, the novel deals with the issue of bullying. It shows how a child can become a victim because of being different, whether due to appearance, personality, or other characteristics that set them apart from their peers. The book highlights the consequences of exclusion and the importance of understanding and acceptance.
The story remains gripping until the very end. The present-day narrative is gradually explained through flashbacks to recent events, revealing new details and helping the reader understand the characters and their actions more fully.
Overall: a compelling and thought-provoking story about bullying, friendship, trust, and the challenges of growing up.

[Kai]

I dunno, it's a good book but not much action. But I feel like it deserves 5 stars cause it's really reflective and has plenty of good messages. The writing is in a very interesting style and all leads up to a quite dramatic ending.

[Sahar]

I liked this book. Easy to read and some characters had depth.

[Frankie Rufolo]

This was a pleasant surprise. It was one of my favourite books of 2015.
It's about two boys, a bully and a victim getting trapped in a cave on a school trip and having to work together to escape.
The book uses flashbacks to go back and forth, explaining how they got there and it's very cleverly done. There's a lot of build up and a fair bit of mystery.
Another great thing about this book is the characters. The main character Daniel is very introverted, not to mention a genius at maths, a geek, a WEIRDO as the title would imply, but he's not just a stereotype. You really see INSIDE this character and really feel the passion for mathematics. It sounds boring, but it flows in the writing so well! Tozer does fit some bully stereotypes, but such people exist and you see him change as the book goes on. You see more than one side to EVERY character. It's the relationships that really did it for me, the friendships, the father-son relationships, the teacher-student relationships. Some of what gets said in this book is pretty powerful. It reminded me a lot of Holes by Louis Sachar.
To top it all off, the climax was pretty intense.
If I had to find fault in it, some people may find it predictable. When I found this in a charity shop, I told my sister what it was about and she was very aprehensive and tried to guess how it would end. I said, "no, there are loads of different ways this could end!" but she wasn't far-off. I could understand if some people found it a bit predictable, but believe me, there are some surprises in store.
Overall, this was a great book. It was nominated for the Carnegie Award and rightfully so. If you liked Holes, if you want a good boys-will-be-boys story, I strongly reccomend it.

[Duane]

Overall, I consider this a pretty good book. Daniel & Tosher (enemies at school and in life) find themselves trapped in a place where they can finally find out what the other's problem has always been with the other. Do they want to know the truth? A good story but I didn't care for the ending. I probably won't recommend it to anyone.

[Beth]

I just can't get myself to finish this - there are too many other good things to read and it's not grabbing me. Next -

[Fireflie]

Enjoyed it

[Sarah]

I completely misjudged this book. It was probably the most interacting book I ever read, I could not put it down!