Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles

Am I the right age for this series? Nope...but that doesn't mean I can't read a fantastic twist on the King Arthur legends. I love how this story progresses. We meet Artie King who is just starting at a new school, Camelot Middle School. And the first day he: makes two new friends, meets Mr. Merlyn, gets detention, offends both Principal Dagger (a mean woman) and the bully Joe Roman--leader of the Horde! Oh and he opens a locker that no one has ever been able to get open, that gives him just what he needs at the right time. It's an action packed first day, but it doesn't end there Artie most join up with his new friends to defeat the the Horde and Principal Dagger in a dodgeball match for the ages.

The story is funny, fast-paced, and show more full of action for readers young and old. The younger readers will enjoy seeing a kid that isn't the biggest or the best on the block, but still manages to come out on top by being true to himself. Older readers will enjoy this unique twist on the King Arthur legends and figuring out who the characters in this story match up with the legend. I also enjoyed the fact that each character, even the bullies, were pretty well developed and were a lot of fun to read about. The artwork is bright, colorful, and cheerful...even in the darkest moments of the tale (which mostly consisted of rescuing the "beast" from the sewer. One last thing to point out..the diversity of the cast.

The creators did a fantastic job with creating memorable characters and a great story. I look forward to reading future issues of this great series. show less

Artie's first day at Camelot Middle School is off to a bad start--he missed the bus, ran afoul of the bullies, was assigned a bum locker that hasn't opened in years, and may have led his new friends to believe he was some kind of dodgeball legend. So when the bullies challenge Artie and his friends to a do-or-die dodgeball game, Artie's the only one who knows they're doomed... or are they?

The writing is maybe a little clunky at the beginning, but it smooths out fairly quickly. The Camelot allusions are thick on the ground (characters Arthur and Gwen, and the teacher Mr. Merlyn) but the target audience for this book isn't likely to find any problem with that. The cartoony art style and color palette are friendly, fun, and welcoming. My show more only hesitation with this is that these are middle-school students, but the book will appeal most to upper-elementary kids--and even that's not really a gripe. The ending is predictable (how do you think the dodgeball game will play out?), but it's sweet and fun all the same. show less

Cammuso, F. (2008), Knights of the Lunch Table: The dodgeball chronicles. New York: Scholastic.

043990322x

141 Pages.

Appetizer: Artie and his family have just moved to a new house and Artie is nervous about starting his new school, Camelot Middle School. And he learns he had reasons to be nervous. It turns out the school is ruled by bullies and an unjust principal. It falls to Artie and his two new friends to rise and battle the bullies (the equivalent of a horde of Roman soldiers) in a game of dodgeball.

Students already familiar with Arthurian legend will meet many twists on familiar characters that are mapped onto a modern school setting. Merlin is now Mr. Merlyn the science teacher. The Lady of the Lake becomes the lunch ladies of the show more icky, green, pea soup. The sword in the stone is a locker that only a student "true of heart" can open. And on and on.

I was greatly entertained by this book. Not only because the way myth and legend are presented in children's literature is the subject of my dissertation, but I was also impressed by how thorough Cammuso was in his re-presentation. I can't help but wonder if he can keep it up for the sequel, The Dragon Players. (Tune in at some unknown future date for that review!)

I especially liked that there was multicultural representation with the characters. Guinevere is re-imagined as Gwen Lee and Merlin and Percy are both African American. This can visually welcome in young readers who feel like traditional tellings of Arthurian legend may not represent or welcome them in.

I was also entertained because there are messages about what the role of education is. The principal, Mrs. Dagger, states, "Some teachers, like Mr. Merlyn, would have you believe that a successful education is based on freedom, respect and understanding. I'll tell you what that's a combination for...failure. Education means discipline, control, fear..." (p. 19). Such a nice conversation starter for undergraduate education majors. Of course, another option would be to use a passage like this one to ask high school students "what does education mean to you?" Asking something like that could influence the way a teacher could conduct their class over the following year.

Having said all of this though, the ending of the graphic novel did feel a little abrupt. And I didn't like how Artie...did something. It felt like cheating. But I don't want to give spoilers. If you've read the book, feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss more.

Dinner Conversation:

ARTIE: "My stomach hurst. Can I stay home?
MOM: It's just butterflies. Besides, you can't miss your first day at the new school.
ARTIE: Why did we have to move? What if the new kids don't like me> What if they find out I stink at sports? What if my locker doesn't open? What if..." (p. 4).

PERCY: "See those guys playing dodgeball? That's THE HORDE. They push everybody around. They take our stuff. They kinda rule the school" (p. 16).

PERCY: "Dwayne Ferryman. He's with the horde. Those jerks shake me down every week.
ARTIE: Why doesn't the principal do something about them?
PERCY: Principal Dagger? Are you kidding? She's worse" (p. 17).

LUNCH LADIES: "Ham 'n cheese...and onion rings...'tis the locker of the king."
ARTIE: "Ok, how'd you know my last name?"
LUNCH LADIES: "Chicken patty...and macaroons...be forewarned, a battle looms" (pp. 36-37).

PERCY: "Ok, but if we win [at dodge ball], you have to leave us alone."
JOE: "And when we win, he shows me how to open this locker and I prove once and for all that I rule the school."
PERCY: "Deal."
JOE: "You heard the geek! Dodge ball match, Friday after school, geeks against the horde, winners rule the school" (p. 52).

To Go with the Meal:

A teacher could pair Knights of the Lunch Table with a more traditional account of King Arthur or could explore the history behind the legend and the theories about who the actual Arthur was/may have been.

The book is excellent for discussion the very realistic concerns of going to a new school, deciding to be yourself, making friends and facing bullies. (Plus, the shares the truth that some girls are rock stars at dodgeball, so you have to let them play)

Tasty Rating: !!! show less

This graphic novel is the story of Artie King, a boy who moves to a new school called Camelot Middle School. He is nervous at first, but makes some friends. He does have a rough start though with the bullies, called The Horde, and the mean principal Mrs. Dagger. Artie manages to open a mysterious locker that no one else has ever been able to, and Joe, the leader of the horde, calls him out and challenges him and his friends to a dodgeball battle. Although the Horde and Principal Dagger try to sabotage the Knights (Artie and his friends' team), Artie has a trick up his sleeve that leads the Knights to victory!
I loved this graphic novel! It actually took me longer than I thought it would to read it because I was admiring the pictures so show more much! The detailed illustrations and descriptive word bubbles made the story so much better than a regular old black and white chapter book.
I think a good classroom extension idea would be to have the class create their own graphic novel after reading this and have each student do a page or two and then put them all together. Another idea would be to read the class the story of the Knights of The Round table and Sir Lancelot retrieving Excalibur and then having students make comparisons between the story and the graphic novel. show less

Artie King is the new student at Camelot Middle School, and his first day is not going well. Artie misses the bus, angers the principal, and is forced to take a pop quiz. To make matters worse, he foolishly brags to the Horde, a group of dodgeball champions, that he too excels at the sport. After opening a mysterious rusted-shut locker, Artie is challenged to a match by the Horde, eager to maintain their social status at Camelot Middle. This modern middle school version of the Arthurian legend is presented as a graphic novel, complete with bright, action packed illustrations and contemporary language. Readers will undoubtedly enjoy the lively cartoons and rejoice in Artie’s triumph over the Horde. Beginning and middle readers will show more love this graphic novel, and will certainly be looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

Booktalk: It’s Artie’s first day in his new school and already he has: accidentally tripped the principal, angered Joe Roman the meanest, biggest boy in school, and lied to his new friends about being the all-state dodgeball champion at his old school. On top of all that, Artie was able to open the magical locker, a locker that no one has been able to open in YEARS, not even the principal nor Joe Roman the meanest, biggest boy in the school. The legend is that the person who opens the magical locker rules the school and Joe Roman is not happy because until Artie opened the locker, Joe was the one who ruled the school. Joe demands a do-or-die dodgeball game against Artie and the winner of the game will rule the school. Too bad Artie show more lied about being a dodgeball champion. He’s never going to beat big mean Joe…unless maybe that magical locker might be able to help??? Find out who really rules the school in KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE. show less

This graphic novel had such great illustrations! Artie is a new student, and new to the neighborhood. Despite his wishes to fit in, Artie does just the opposite. He becomes the King of all the students after opening his locker that granted him the title, and now he has to deal with an evil administrator and a horde of bullies that are illustrated to look terrifying. In the end, he wins an epic dodgeball game against the horde, and all order is restored.

Because the book is primarily photos and some small dialogue or though bubbles, kids of almost any age would be able to read this and enjoy it! Again, another great example of overcoming obstacles and finding strength.