Charlie Bumpers vs. the End of the Year

Charlie Bumpers #7

by Bill Harley, Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

Charlie Bumpers juggles school bullies and a wacky scheme to keep his best friend from moving in this heartfelt conclusion to Bill Harley's beloved middle grade series.

When Charlie learns that Hector's family is moving back to Chile at the end of the year, he is crushed. So with Tommy's help, he immediately starts cooking up schemes to keep Hector here, including a campaign to get him selected as next year's School Ambassador. (Surely Hector will have to stay, Charlie reasons, if he has such an important job.) As usual, Charlie's schemes lead to one near-disaster after another.

But moving away from his friends turns out to be the least of Hector's problems. Three mean boys have targeted him for bullying and are making his life miserable. Hector wants to solve the problem by himself, but Charlie and Tommy see that he needs help. They start a campaign to save Hector and to defeat "The Jerzollies of Darkness."

Black and white illustrations throughout.

Genres: Childrens

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

A two-time Grammy award-winning artist and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities, Bill uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. His work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one would score a 3.5 for me. I like this series featuring the likeable but imperfect Charlie Bumpers. In this installment, the seventh book in the series, fourth grade is coming to an end, and while Charlie is eager for a break from school, he also becomes sad when he learns that his friend Hector and his family are moving to Santiago. Charlie and his friend Tommy are sure if Hector is chosen as the School Ambassador for the coming year, his parents won't be able to leave. They mount a campaign dropping hints and trying to convince the school's teachers that he's the perfect choice. Additionally, the boys learn that Hector's being bullied by some older boys at school. When they try to take up for him, Tommy and Charlie also become their victims. The scene in which they are trapped in the gym while Jaden and Butler hurl basketballs at them and the coach arriving in the middle of all this fails to understand what's happening is well written and a perfect example of how physical bullying occurs right under the noses of adults. But fortunately for Charlie, he has an ally or two and some good plans for how to combat those bullies up his sleeve. Caregivers and teachers would do well to include this book and this relatable series on their classroom library shelves.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are huge Charlie Bumpers fan in our house! Everyone from Mom, down through all five children (ages 7 to 17) LOVE Charlie Bumpers! These books fulfill all of my criteria for the perfect read aloud: short chapters, fun illustrations throughout, chapter titles that make the kids beg for "one more chapter!" and never too many characters at once (making voice work tricky).

Everyone can relate to Charlie and his little schemes, always backed by the best intentions, of course! In this book, Harley delves into a more serious topic than previous books: bullies. It is handled with skill, addressing concerns that kids might have and shows how to navigate through them. We had a lot of teaching moments disguised in questions like, "What do you think Charlie should do next? What would you do if you were Charlie?"

This book brings out all of the emotions: the awkwardness of hugging a teacher, laughable moments with crazy friends, seriousness of dealing with difficult situations/people, sadness at facing the loss of a friend, and pride when we do something right.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Bravo, Mr. Harley! Extremely well done! We can't wait to see what Charlie does next!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Bumpers vs. the End of the Year by Bill Harley
Bullies . . . it’s not as simple as “Stand up, Just say no . . . “ but that is a start. Telling others is important also, and if they don’t help, tell more people. Friends help friends.
Charlie reminds me of some of my favorite students, smart and caring and not afraid to stand up for their beliefs. He also reminded me of an exchange student and his host brother trying to figure out a way to keep the exchange student here. I hope they stayed in touch, as I hope Hector and Charlie do as well.
I recommend this book to all young readers and to open-minded readers of all ages, good life lessons and a bit of hope. <3
Ultimate friendship: “Both of us are in charge of the crazy stuff.”
** For the record, I am NOT the Mrs. Garrett in the book, far from it. When one of my students was suspended for hitting back — that inconvenient “zero tolerance” policy — I assured his father that the suspension wouldn’t hurt his grade in my class, and I privately told the student how proud I was of him for standing up to our worst bully.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Peachtree Publishers for the review copy of Charlie Bumpers vs the End of the Year!

This is probably Charlie Bumpers at his best - dealing with bullying (in an age-appropriate way), friendship and loyalty, and how our relationships change as we grow up.

Because the "mentor" character archetype in this story is always another kid, character-building messages are delivered in a funny way that will be well-received by children.

[Kate Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

In contrast to the first Charlie Bumpers book, which was very funny, this last book in his fourth grade career is more serious, addressing subjects like intense bullying and the sadness of a friend moving away. A touching story, and my students liked it no less than the first.

[Nicole J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of the Charlie Bumpers books were excellent. I met Bill Harley this summer and I hope to see him again soon. These books are for late elementary students. I’m glad I read them so I can share the stories with my students.

[Genn · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT book! It properly handled bullying and wrapped up the Charlie Bumpers series very nicely! Not going to lie, I cried a bit. Very well done! This book needs to be read to every elementary school aged child!

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is fun, engaging, and relevant. The illustrations are great additions to the story and beautifully done. Like Charlie, we’re sad to see fourth grade end.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 7th installment in the Charlie Bumpers series. Charlie is a 5th grader and his mission this year is to come up with a plan to prevent his friend Hector’s family from moving back to Chile. Charlie and his best friend Tommy have become good friends with Hector, who is kind but shy and rarely speaks up for himself. Charlie also becomes privately concerned that Hector could be a target of a group of bullies. Charlie tried to take on both issues by himself and occasionally with Tommy’s help.

I liked this book and found the characters to be likeable and relatable. I thought the message of standing up to bullying was good and accurate. As a mother of young children I feel that anti-bullying messages are sometimes too sweeping and over-exaggerated, and this book discussed this a bit and showed an accurate example of real bullying. I also liked the supportive and sometimes annoying family as well as the emphasis on friendship, tolerance, and the importance of helping others. I think that children grades 3 and up would enjoy this book, and it does well as a stand-alone story.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.