Fuzzy Mud

Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh have been walking to and from school together for years. However, their routine is interrupted when Chad Hilligas, a bully Marshall knows, came to fight them. Since they don’t want to escalate the situation, Marshall and Tamaya take a shortcut home through the off-limits woods.[1]

Marshall and Tamaya then split up after getting lost to look for an escape route. Chad then shows up and tries to attack Tamaya. Marshall then tries to defend her, but gets caught by Chad in the process. To save Marshall, Tamaya grabs nearby mud and throws it in Chad’s face.

Later, Tamaya has a rash from exposure to the mud. While Tamaya is at school, the rash gets worse, so she is taken to the nurse’s office. During her stay at the nurse’s office, Tamaya thought that what happened to her hand should also happen to Chad’s face. She leaves school and went into the woods where she last saw him. Upon finding him, she found out that the mud made him become blind. The two children then have an intimate discussion, which reveals why Chad acts mean to others.

Marshall then realizes that Tamaya was missing, so he also left to look for her in the woods. He finds Tamaya and Chad, who became friends. Marshall then assists the group out of the woods. He then gets the rash. Next, the trio was exhausted after getting out of the woods. A search and rescue team found them and took them to a hospital.

Scientists discover that the fuzzy mud came from a science experiment mutation gone wrong and attempt to cover it up. The outbreak results in massive quarantines and lockdowns. They ultimately find a cure.

Darienne Stewart from Common Sense Media rated the book four out of five stars. She praised the book’s characters as role models, but criticized it for what she thinks is a rushed ending.[2] On BookTrust’s “17 books to make reading fun for your class” list, Fuzzy Mud was in seventh place.[3] Fuzzy Mud appeared on Theschoolrun.com’s “Best books for ten year olds”. It was described as “intelligent, thought provoking and thrilling.”[4] Marybeth Kozikowski from the School Library Journal describes the book as an exciting tale that blends horror with sober consideration of ethics and science.[5] Kirkus Reviews describes the book as “a quick meditation on the promise and dangers of modern science that came from an exciting story from school life, friends, and bullies.”[6]

• Inspiration for Fuzzy Mud at Louis Sachar website