Karmack by J.C. Whyte

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Sully is the leader of a group of bullies that include his friends Gonzo and Breeze. While chasing down a kid from music class who had the audacity to squeal on him, he sees something on the bank building roof just before a pile of snow buries Gonzo.  The next day at school everyone is laughing at Gonzo and what happened.  When Breeze targets the new girl in the school cafeteria things once again go bad. Sully sees the same creature who dropped the snow on Gonzo, trip his friend Breeze.

The creature’s name is Karmack and it is his job to stop Sully and his friend from bullying.  There will be terrible consequences if they don’t stop. It is his job to make Sully understand that the pranks he plays are another form of bullying.  The author touches on several different types of bullying.  I thought the things that happened to Sully and his gang to be very funny.  I also thought it great that the only one who could see Karmack was Sully.

This is such a rewarding book.  Instead of seeing the bully punished for what he has done, or getting his just desserts, we find a different take on this story.  The bully is actually encouraged to be a positive leader and role model instead of leading people into bullying and intimidating others.  I do think this would be a great book to put on my shelves.  Any time you can find a book that touches on the topic of bullying and shows the importance of stopping bullying is enough of a reason to put the book on your shelves.  I would definitely read more from this author.