{My thoughts} – Weir Do is a rather interesting character. His mom and dad decided to name him using family names, which resulted in an incredibly strange yet funny name for him.

Weir Do is the new kid in school and he always dreads when he has to stand up and tell someone his name. I am sure if I had a name as silly as his I would feel the same way. However, he also seems to be a bit strange as does his family. In my opinion his name is a perfect fit for him.

He didn’t stay the new kid for long though. And soon everything that was thought to be exciting, strange, unusual about him was soon forgotten while the peers in his class moved onto to the next new student.

I really liked this book. It helps to show children that it’s okay to be themselves. That they can find friends that like them just the way they are, even if most of their peers think they are strange. I think this is a great book to read on the night before any child’s first day of school. It has the potential to help them see that even though they think things might have a bad outcome, that more then likely everything will be alright. ( )

Hmm. I've often asked for more Wimpy Kid-style books with non-white protagonists, but this... isn't quite what I was thinking of.

Weir Do (his first name was his mother's maiden name, his last name comes from his Vietnamese father) is starting third grade with a lot of strikes against him, not just his name. From teachers who can't help giggling during roll call, to his farting father, annoying little brother (who keeps slamming his "thing" in the toilet) Weir feels like a total weirdo. When his crush, the "seventh-best-looking girl in school" comes to visit, can he keep his weird family out of sight? Probably not.

This Australian import hits all the notes of crude potty humor, not fitting in at school, and copious notebook-novel style illustrations, but it also comes in heavily on stereotypes. Rating the attractiveness of girls, Weir's older sister humiliating him by telling everyone he's wearing hand-me-down girls' shoes, and so on. It's certainly not realistic that Weir's teacher laughs at his name (or that roll call is the first time she's seen it). I was also skeptical about Weir's crush - it definitely felt more middle school. Another odd note is that none of the kids seem to know what head lice are.

Verdict: Gender stereotypes and misogyny abound, plus copious helpings of crude humor. I'd skip this, even if you have rabid Captain Underpants and Andy Griffiths fans - there are lots of other options. Buy only if requested.

ISBN: 9781338305586; Published January 2019 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium