Boy with the Lampshade on His Head, The

Abuse/Friendship

The Boy with the Lampshade on His Head by Bruce Wetter Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004, 304 pp., $16.95 ISBN: 0-689-85032-8

Stanley Krakow doesn't consider himself to be anything special. He is a young boy whose problems consist of a callous fifth-grade teacher and a bully, who just happens to be Stanley's older brother, Jerold. Concerned with saving his glow-in-the-dark fish and holding his breath long enough to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records, Stanley creates a world in which he is the hero and everything else is out to destroy him. In his role as super hero, Stanley meets Theresa. Theresa's everyday battle brings to life the reality of abuse in the home and the need for friends. Through Theresa, Stanley discovers how special he really is. Stanley goes from being a blood-sucking beetle killer to a brave friend who literally saves Theresa's life.

Bruce Wetter does a fantastic job of capturing the imagination of a unique fifth-grader. Humorously introduced throughout the story, Stanley's trials and tribulations are sure to captivate young readers as they reveal an unlikely hero: The Boy with the Lampshade on His Head.

Jessica Mattes

Elgin, IL

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Winter 2005
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