Book Review: There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar

A while ago, I was browsing books on ThriftBooks.com and came across the children's book There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar. Seeing this book brought back a flood of memories from middle school. This book was originally recommended to me by a friend when we were in the sixth grade and remember absolutely loving it. So, it went without saying that I had to buy this book and reread it.

Not remembering much of anything, it was like reading There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom for the first time. The main character, Bradley Chalkers, is the kid that no one likes, including teachers. Other students think he's weird and a bully; teachers think he's unruly and destructive. It's actually a very heartbreaking story about a boy that is misunderstood and has distanced himself from his peers and has given up on life in general.

There are so many life lessons that can be learned in this book that both children and adults can benefit from learning. Don't judge a book by it's cover is a lesson everyone can learn, even adults. I love the fact that the school counselor took notice of Bradley and believed in him. That and a little work is all it took to turn around Bradley's outlook on life. Another theme that was brought to life was that adults were not accepting to having a school counselor. They thought it was pointless despite having one was actually helping students.

I never thought as an adult that I'd cry at the end of a book written for children, but I did because it was such a heartbreaking story. It shows how talented Louis Sachar is as an author. I'm not sure if this book is still popular with kids today, but I definitely think this should be required reading in elementary school. This is a book that both girls and boys would enjoy, and I gave it four out of five stars.

Synopsis of There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar:  Bradley Chalkers is the oldest kid in the fifth grade at his school and tells the biggest lies. He even beats up girls. To say the least, he's the most hated kid in the school, but things start to change when the school counselor takes an interest in Bradley.

Follow Us On Social Media