Marvin and the Moths - Hardcover

Holm, Matthew; Follett, Jonathan

3.41

58 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545876745 ISBN 13: 9780545876742

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2016

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Middle school is off to a rocky start for Marvin Watson. Doomed to misfit status, his only friends are a girl with major orthodontics, the smelliest boy in school, and the trio of sarcastic man-sized moths that live in his attic.

No one said middle school would be easy! Also, no one said that Marvin's town would be threatened by mutant bugs, including a very hungry, Shakespeare-quoting spider. But life in the suburbs is full of surprises. Will Marvin be the one to unravel the mystery behind the mutants and save the town? Or will he be too busy with the real threat: his first school dance?!

This hilarious send-up of middle school has the humor of James Patterson's I Funny, the underdog hero of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the zany action of NERDS... and features illustrations by co-author Matthew Holm, New York Times bestselling illustrator of Babymouse, Squish, and Sunny Side Up.

Plus: talking moths.

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About the Author:

Matthew Holm was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has been drawing comics since he was in middle school. With his sister, Jennifer, Matthew created the graphic novel series Babymouse and Squish. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Jonathan Follett is a web designer and an internationally published author on the topics of user experience and information design. Marvin and the Moths, co-written with his childhood friend Matthew Holm, is his first work for children. He lives in Boston.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–6—If an episode of The Simpsons were written by a pair of 13-year-old boys, it might feel a little like this surreal stew of science run amok, middle school high jinks and angst, corporate mayhem, and the worst Harvest Dance ever. For Marvin Watson, the start of middle school is one more horror in his increasingly difficult life. A new baby brother; the realization that his wealthy, popular, and evil bully of a cousin will be a fellow classmate; and a wardrobe malfunction on the very first day are just a few of Marvin's troubles. To make matters worse, the only two people who will talk to him are "super smelly" Lee and intelligent but socially inept Fatima. Oh, and Marvin's unauthorized experimentation on one of the myriad products from Pork Loaf International, the town's main employer, may be responsible for not only the three human-size moths wreaking havoc in his new attic bedroom but quite possibly for the mysterious and deadly, Shakespeare-quoting "elephant vampire" as well. Town hysteria results in an incident of book burning, most of the characters fall just short of caricature, and the humor feels a little forced at times, but this laugh-out-loud goof fest will likely capture the imaginations of many reluctant readers. VERDICT Selling this one to fans of fart jokes and science humor will be as easy as, um, pork loaf.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

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