My latest novel, Bubble Sheet Blues, was released on Friday, and Mary Ann Grossman, the long-time book editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press gave it an outstanding review. (highlights in bold)
Bubble Sheet Blues review, by Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Bubble Sheet Blues by William Durbin (Lake Vermillion Press, $11.95, pub. date: 1-2-26)
It’s going to be a good year for readers if William Durbin’s funny and timely new novel for young readers is an example of what’s to come.
Adults have been talking about mandatory student testing for years, but we rarely hear the feelings of the kids who are forced to take them. That’s why Durbin, two-time Minnesota Book Award winner and a former English teacher, introduces us to Luke Collins, an eighth-grader who’s not very interested in school.
Luke has been coasting through several grades by rewriting a research paper about manatees, earning him the nickname Manatee Cowboy from friends Claire and Gabe. But now he’s been caught by the librarian and has to come up with a new research topic.
During a session with his third-grade reading buddy, Luke watches the little kids sob as they face the coming Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) required by Jeb Bush, Florida’s governor from 1999 to 2007. If kids don’t pass the test (marking answers on a “bubble sheet”) they will have to repeat third grade, even if they are smart and their day-to-day work is excellent. No wonder the first chapter is titled “Bubble Sheet Blues or Dead Dogs and Puke Piles.”
Luke is interested in why this test incites terror in the kids and unease among teachers. As he begins to research the test, he realizes the injustice inherent in the system. He uncovers financial benefits to the testing companies, collusion with lawmakers, and how the tests are unfair to students for whom English is a second language and those with conditions such as dyslexia. Some wealthy families can move their kids to private schools, which don’t give the test. But trailer park students like Luke remain in the public schools.
He figures out the standardized tests aren’t for the students’ benefit, but are a way to keep them from critical, thoughtful learning by making teachers spend weeks and sometimes months preparing for the test. The more Luke learns the angrier he gets, leading to outright revolution in the school, led by Luke, optimistic Claire, and tech-savvy Gabe.
What happens then, thanks to sympathetic teachers and some parents, makes for a great ending. The trio is so jazzed they might even take on banned books for their next project. Luke’s eighth-grade voice is spot on, serious when he’s talking about his research but also funny in dialogue with his friends.
Although this story is being marketed for young adults, every adult with an interest in education should read it, too.
Durbin, who lives near Lake Vermillion in northern Minnesota, is known for his young adult historical fiction, including Minnesota Book Award-winners “The Broken Blade” and “The Darkest Evening.” Among his other popular books are “Blackwater Ben” and its sequel “Dead Man’s Rapids.”
Teaser quote: “I walked back to the computers and did a web search of ‘standardized testing in Florida.’ I expected to find a bunch of dull, professor-type essays, but I was surprised to see that two of my all-time favorite authors — Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry, both newspaper columnists — had written about public school testing in Florida.”