Fuzzy Mud

In Newbery medalist Louis Sachar’s sci-fi thriller Fuzzy Mud (2015), Tamaya and Marshall cut through the restricted woods behind their school to avoid a bully—but encounter a strange mud that has the potential to destroy nearly all life on Earth. While Marshall struggles with the emotional effects of being bullied, Tamaya develops an unusually aggressive rash from the mud and worries that in protecting Marshall she has gravely injured Chad. Each character faces difficult ethical choices. Sachar’s novel addresses troubling issues, from bullying to scientific responsibility and overpopulation, and explores the themes Facing Environmental Crisis, Overcoming Social Isolation, and Doing the Right Thing.

Fuzzy Mud and was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Financial Times Best Book of the Year. The middle grade novel received a starred review from Booklist and accolades from VOYA and School Library Journal.

This guide refers to the 2015 Yearling edition.

Plot Summary

Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi lives in the town of Heath Cliff in western Pennsylvania with her mother and attends the prestigious Woodridge Academy on a scholarship. Her parents are divorced, and Tamaya feels that she misses out on things when she leaves to visit her father.