Fuzzy Mud

Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh walk home from school every day, but recently, school has been stressful for them. Tamaya feels like she misses out on quality time with her friends because she splits time between her divorced parents, who live in different towns. Plus, all of her friends think she’s a goody two-shoes. Life has also been difficult for Marshall, who is being bullied by Chad Hilligas. Worst of all, Chad says he’s going to beat up Marshall after school today. 

To avoid Chad’s wrath, Marshall forces Tamaya to take a shortcut through the woods, but they get lost quickly. When Chad catches up to them and attempts to attack Marshall, Tamaya throws strange, fuzzy mud in Chad’s face. Tamaya and Marshall both escape, but the next day, Chad has disappeared.  

Now, Tamaya has a painful rash on her hand because of the fuzzy mud, and she’s worried that Chad might be suffering even more. After Chad is absent for two days, the school becomes increasingly concerned about his whereabouts, and Tamaya decides she must find Chad, despite everything he’s done. When Tamaya also disappears, Marshall must decide if he can stand up to Chad in order to help his friend. 

The narration alternates between the third-person limited point of view of the two main characters, Tamaya and Marshall. Tamaya struggles to determine her values as her classmates begin to mature and change in preparation for middle school. Readers will empathize with Tamaya’s relatable conflict and be impressed by her bravery as she chooses to listen to her moral compass rather than outside trends. On the other hand, as a means of venting his frustration, Marshall is becoming meaner to Tamaya. However, he feels immense guilt for this and believes he is a coward for not standing up to Chad. Though Marshall is at times difficult to like due to his cold treatment of Tamaya, his reaction to his bullying is grounded and therefore sympathetic. Despite the characters’ flaws, readers will feel sympathy for Marshall and Tamaya because each wants to change and improve for the sake of the other. 

Interestingly, Chad’s backstory and reasons for bullying are also revealed. He bullies Marshall because he feels that his parents neglect him and don’t truly care about him. Plus, Chad is jealous of Marshall, whose mom often demonstrates her love. Sachar’s choice to give Chad a sympathetic backstory makes him a realistic, grounded bully rather than a caricature of evil. Furthermore, Chad’s narrative demonstrates that people can change for the better and find people who truly care for them. 

The fuzzy mud serves as an intriguing sci-fi thriller element, heightening the stakes and eventually throwing the town into disarray. Ultimately, the fuzzy mud serves as an effective plot device to not only create physical danger for the characters but also kickstart moments of character growth, including Tamaya’s commitment to helping Chad and Marshall’s determination to stand up to what scares them. Furthermore, the fuzzy mud parallels the conflicts the characters face: it is revealed that the fuzzy mud was actually meant to help people, and only began creating harm when it started mutating against outside threats. Similarly, Chad and Marshall did not start out as cold or heartless people, but became meaner when they experienced outward harm and tried to defend themselves. When people like Tamaya call out their harmful ways, they try to change for the better. This is similar to how Tamaya’s ability to alert the authorities about fuzzy mud helps protect people. 

Fuzzy Mud is not only an effective thriller but also a genuinely empathetic exploration of the struggles of three middle school kids. The characters’ interactions with the fuzzy mud allow readers to understand each character’s fears and worries. Though this book is at times almost horror-esque, its unique thriller elements are still fairly tame and make for a tense rather than outright frightening read. It is perfect for young readers who want to begin dipping their toes into sci-fi, thriller, and horror elements. Furthermore, its grounded characters and realistic interpersonal conflicts make this a great read for a wide range of readers. Fuzzy Mud is not only thrilling but also emotional, empathetic, and ultimately hopeful for a better future. Readers who want to read books that show the power of kindness should also read The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick. 

Sexual Content  

• Marshall doesn’t allow Tamaya to be friendly with him at school, because he doesn’t want anyone to think they are “boyfriend and girlfriend,” which they are “definitely not.” 
• Tamaya’s mom makes a joke that Tamaya has to do her own laundry or else “she’d have to go to school naked.” Tamaya is embarrassed that her mother said this around Marshall and finds herself blushing. 
• After he defeats Chad in his fantasy scenario, Marshall imagines two pretty girls from class kissing him. 
• Tamaya has a crush on her teacher, Mr. Franks. “Tamaya could feel her face get warm, and she tried very hard not to blush. All her friends agreed that Mr. Franks was movie-star handsome.” 
• Tamaya has a crush on the doctor who takes care of her in the hospital. “With soft brown eyes and curly hair, he was even cuter than Mr. Franks.” 

Violence  

• The older boys at Tamaya’s school discuss a hermit who may or may not exist, saying that he has a long beard “splotched all over with blood.”  
• An older boy also discusses an exaggerated story about being in the woods, saying, “A wolf snapped at my leg just as I was climbing back over the fence.”  
• Chad finds Marshall and Tamaya in the woods and attacks Marshall. “With sudden ferocity, Chad lunged at him. He slugged Marshall in the face, then in the side of the neck.” In an attempt to protect Marshall, Tamaya takes some fuzzy mud and shoves it into Chad’s face. “She reached into the fuzzy mud and grabbed a handful of the thick and gooey muck. She ran at Chad, and as he turned towards her, she shoved it into his face.” 
• After Chad’s attack, both Tamaya and Marshall are hurt. “Her knees were scraped and bloody, and her left wrist hurt from where she’d fallen, but she didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong. Besides, Marshall was a lot worse. Dried blood and snot were caked beneath his nose.” 
• Marshall fantasizes about defending Tamaya from Chad. Marshall imagines, “Tamaya is on the ground, crying. Chad is about to hit Tamaya again, but Marshall grabs his arm.”  
• To convince Marshall that Chad might be in danger, Tamaya shows him the rash. “Huge blisters, bleeding and crusted over, now covered the entire area, from the tip of her fingers down past her wrist.” 
• In the woods, Tamaya sees a dead animal that the mud killed. “Just ahead lay some kind of dead animal, half covered in muck and fuzz.” 
• Tamaya slips into a gully and is bruised. “She noticed the pain from all the bruises on her hands, arms, knees, and legs. Her shirt had rolled up a bit during her slide, and she had scratches and scrapes on her stomach as well.” 
• Chad’s face is incredibly damaged by the mud. “His face was a mass of blisters, crusted with pus and dried blood, and so badly swollen, she could hardly see his eyes.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language    

• Tamaya’s friends tease her in a light-hearted way, though it hurts Tamaya’s feelings. Her friends call her a “goody two-shoes” and a “goody-goody.” 
• Tamaya feels confused that her girlfriends refer to the boys as “disgusting and gross,” but this seems to be a positive thing. 
• In one of the Senate hearing excerpts, one doctor refers to another as “crazy.” 
• Chad calls Marshall names such as “Buttface” and “thumb-sucking coward.”  
• After a surgery that grafts skin from Chad’s butt to his face, he refers to himself as “Buttface.”

Supernatural  

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None 

by Mia LaBianca