Tamaya and Marshall have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy since elementary school. They have to walk the long way around the thick woods between their houses and the school, since the woods are off limits.
But one day, Marshall leads Tamaya into the woods to avoid a bully. While there, Tamaya encounters some strange, fuzzy mud – and then discovers the bully has followed them into the woods.
The mud causes problems, even more problems than the bully. Tamaya tries to tell the adults, but they are distracted with other issues. And now the bully is missing. Tamaya feels responsible and doesn’t see any other choice than to venture into the woods to find the missing bully.
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar follows several different threads of this story, managing to tie them together into one by the end of the book. Meanwhile, the mystery of the mud, what will happen to Tamaya, Marshall and others in the book will keep readers (or listeners) riveted.
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Cultivating Readers 
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