Surviving Brick Johnson [Hardcover]

Laurie Myers (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Alex is running for his life. After making fun of the notorious bully Brick Johnson, he’s now convinced that Brick is out to get him. There is only one way to survive Brick Johnson—take karate lessons and become a powerful sensei. But after Brick shows up in karate class and treats Alex with respect, Alex’s picture of him begins to change. How can Brick be a bully and a nice guy at the same time?

Accompanied by Dan Yaccarino’s humorous illustrations, this funny, fast-paced story challenges readers to explore the way we think about people—and to break down the stereotypes that may prevent us from finding true friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. Fifth-grader Alex believes he has run afoul of the new kid, Brick Johnson, whose name says it all. Brick is a lot taller and bigger than the other kids in the class, and in Alex's mind, he's a terrifying bully. To protect himself, Alex decides to sign up for karate classes, and when Brick also signs up, Alex fears the worst. As the novel unfolds, however, Alex learns Brick is not what he thought: Would a class bully spend part of his time reading stories to first-graders, using funny voices for added effect? What's going on? The message is obvious, but Johnson lightens things up with frequently witty dialogue and snappy one-liners. There are also some cheerful cartoon illustrations contributed by Dan Yaccarino. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews

Myers (Guinea Pigs Don't Talk, not reviewed, etc.) brings unusual insight to a perennial children's book topic. Having rashly done a rude imitation of hulking classmate Brick Johnson in front of the entire lunchroom, pipsqueak Alex is sure that his days are numbered. Despite little brother Bob's insistence that Brick, who has volunteered to read stories to his first-grade class, is a nice guy, Alex makes strenuous efforts to avoid any encounter-most of which, to his consternation, seem to have the opposite effect. Casting about for any lifeline, Alex even enrolls in karate class, where the teacher's talk of respecting others seems less useful than a well-practiced round kick. Until, that is, he suddenly finds himself facing Brick as a sparring partner. Astonishingly, rather than punching out Alex's lights, Brick bows, setting the stage for a conversation that makes it clear that the threat was entirely a product of Alex's imagination. In fact, the two turn out to share an enthusiasm for baseball card collecting that by the end puts them well on the way toward friendship. Brick's apparent unawareness of Alex's angst doesn't quite ring true, but Myers's suggestion that hostilities often hinge on misunderstanding or incidents blown out of proportion is well taken. (Fiction. 8-10) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; 1ST edition (September 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395980313
• ISBN-13: 978-0395980316
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #863,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laurie Myers is the award-winning author of chapter books for children, including Surviving Brick Johnson, an ALA Notable book, and Lewis and Clark and Me, winner of the Pennsylvania Children's book award and Honor book for Michigan. Her books have been on the International Reading Association's Children's Choice, Teachers' Choice and Parents' Choice lists, as well as Junior Library Guild selection and many state master lists and nominations for the Crown Award.

She has collaborated with her sister, Betsy Duffey and her mother Betsy Byars on several popular books, which have been nominated for state awards and won the Louisiana and South Carolina children's book awards.

She lives in Augusta, Georgia with her husband, their dog, Samson and their cat, Venus.

www.lauriemyers.com
www.writingsisters.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surviving Brick Johnson, September 7, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Surviving Brick Johnson (Hardcover)

Surviving Brick Johnson
By: Myers
Have you ever been bullied on the second week of school? Then this is the perfect book for you. You could connect yourself to the character in this book, Alex. Brick is just a bully in the school. Brick Johnson bullies Alex. Alex takes karate lessons to protect him self. When Alex's mom asks the children what was there most horrible thing that happened to them Alex said that he is being bullied.
Alex is the main character. He collects baseball cards. He has a little brother named Bob. Brick Johnson bullies Alex.
Alex wants to be the only 5th grader in Karate. The sensei tells Alex that there will be a new 5th grader. That 5th grader is Brick Johnson. Alex wants to stand up for him self. He wants to be a sleek fighting machine.
This book is set in school, the YMCA and at home. The genre is realistic fiction. Something the author did great was that he had realistic details and a hopeful ending. People like this book because they could have the same problem. I like the language the author uses because it is easy to understand. It is also exiting.
I compare this book to Ramona the Brave because her big sister bullies Ramona. Ramona feels like Alex I enjoyed his book because it was about bulling and a lot of kids know how it feels to be bullied. A specific reaction that the author did was that Brick Johnson thought little kids how to read. He also wrote something you wouldn't expect to happen in the end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surviving Brick Johnson, September 7, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Surviving Brick Johnson (Hardcover)

Have you ever been bullied by someone? If you said yes you might like this book. You might have the same feelings like Alex. Brick Johnson is the bully of the school. Brick Johnson bullies Alex. Alex is in fifth grade. He has a little brother named Bob he is in first grade.
Alex goes into karate lessons. He wants to be a slick-fighting machine. Alex wants to be the only 5th grader that has karate lessons, the next day his sensei presented a new student. It was a 5th grader. It was Brick Johnson.
This book is set in the YMCA, a school, and at home. The story mostly took place in the school. The exciting parts are told in the YMCA and in the school.
The genre is realistic fiction. The author included many realistic details and a hopeful ending. People will like this book especially if you have the same problem as Alex. I can compare this book with Henry and Beezus in that they books have a hopeful ending. I like the language that the author uses because it makes it more exciting. I like this book because it talks about some of the same school problems we have at our school. I like this book because something really funny happens in the end.