A Bundle of Sticks

by Pat Mauser McCord

Ben Tyler hates to fight and Boyd Bradshaw knows it. When Boyd makes Ben eat mud at the bus stop, Ben's father decides that it's time for him to learn to defend himself. The thought of learning to fight makes Ben's stomach hurt, but he's willing to try anything to stop Boyd's bullying. When Ben discovers that he won't have to smash boards or throw people across the room, he decides that his Kajukenbo lessons might not be so bad. But even with his new self-defense skills, Ben doesn't believe he can stand up to Boyd until the day the bully kicks Ben's dog. Not only does Ben overcome his fears, he discovers a new kind of strength, one that was inside him all along. Written for children ages 9 and up, A Bundle of Sticks is an honest, funny and sometimes painful look at how one boy overcomes his fears and stands up to the schoolyard bully. Winner of The Mark Twain Award, The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and The Washington State Governor's Award

169 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Brandon Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book from the 1980s. At the time it was published, it received the Mark Twain Readers Award in 1985. The author seems to have a little understanding of martial arts because she knows that there is something called a horse stance, but not much more understanding than that because the stance is not a fighting stance, it's a workout and a self-discipline stance. If you tried to use it as a fight stance, you'd be pushed over quite easily by anyone who knows what they are doing. Other than that though, if you overlook that one little thing, the book is a fun read, and children, the target audience, will rarely know anything about any stances.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I'm feeling miserable about having been the one no one liked in grade school, wishing I'd been so lucky as the kid in the story to have just one bully and a cool teacher and a good solution to the problem.

The writing isn't terrific, the dialogue is a little stilted, and I'm not sure Ben is an entirely believeable kid, but the pictures are very good and the story is good.

[Ernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not really that good, but I read it a hundred thousand times as a child, so I'm giving it a huge rating. There is something satisfying about reading the story of a kid who uses Karate to beat the shit out of someone who kicks his dog.

[Lea Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking martial arts classes isn't Ben's idea. He hates fighting.

But he learns about self-discipline and how to stand up for himself against the school bully.

I enjoyed this one enough to purchase it and share it with my family.