The Bully Bug

Gr 3–6—Lud Mellon is known as a bully. He isn't truly cruel, but has a tendency to use his fists when he feels belittled by his peers, an almost daily occurrence. Lud's only solace is his large family, the Mellons, who stick together no matter what. One afternoon while roughhousing in the basement, his younger brother knocks over a cereal box filled with bugs. They swarm Lud and bite him numerous times. That night, he begins to mutate into a mimic beetle; he drools uncontrollably, is unable to see certain colors, and finds the aroma of trash delectable. Horrified by these changes, Lud seeks the help of "The Nerd," a bright kid at school whom Lud has terrorized since kindergarten. This is the final installment in Lubar's "Monsterrific Tales" (Tor), a series chronicling the strange happenings surrounding Washington Irving Elementary School. Lud is a sympathetic character, an insecure bully who loves his family and has untapped talent as a comic. The interactions with the nerd are amusing, and the physical changes Lud endures are gross enough to please the intended audience. A definite purchase for libraries that own the series and a nice stand-alone for reluctant readers and fans of lighthearted horror tales.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI