Attack of the Tagger (Shredderman Series #2)

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Overview

Nolan Byrd single-handedly saved his school from the bullydom of Alvin “Bubba” Bixby. He posted proof of Bubba’s exploits on the Web at Shredderman.com. Now Shredderman is the school hero! But since Shredderman’s identity is a secret, everyone still treats Nolan like . . . a nerd.

But inside this nerd beats a superhero’s heart—one dedicated to truth and justice. So when a vandal spray-paints graffiti around town—and even on his teacher’s van!—Nolan decides that tracking down the tagger is a job for Shredderman.

But while he’s trying to trap the tagger, the tagger is trying to pin the blame on Shredderman! Can Nolan turn the tables back around before his secret identity is revealed?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780440419136
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/25/2006
Series:	Shredderman Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.19(w) x 7.69(h) x 0.44(d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Wendelin Van Draanen enjoys the “three Rs”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll. The author lives in central CA.

Brian Biggs is an illustrator, designer, graphic novelist, and accordion player. He lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1
BUBBA BIXBY


Bubba Bixby was born big and mean, full of teeth and ready to bite.

That's what my mom thinks anyway.

My dad says a boy isn't born bad—he grows into being bad.

I don't know who's right. What I do know is that Bubba Bixby's got rocky knuckles.

And killer breath.

Teachers are always telling him to use words instead of fists—they have no idea what they're saying! Bubba-breath can knock you out cold.

Ask Ian McCoy. It actually happened to him in the third grade. When Bubba shouted at him, Ian's eyes rolled up in his head.

His knees buckled.

Then he blacked out and bit the dirt.

We had to slap his cheeks like crazy to get him to wake up, and when he did, he sat up, then threw up.

My father thinks I shouldn't call Bubba "Bubba" like everyone else does. He thinks I should call him Alvin, which is his real name. I've told him that calling him Alvin will get me pounded. Mike McDermish got dared to do it once and was nothing but Mike-mush when it was over. Now it's "Sure, Bubba" and "You betcha, Bubba" whenever he talks to him.

My mom and dad used to try to get the school to do something about Bubba. They talked to teachers. They even talked to the principal, Dr. Voss, a bunch of times. Nothing changed.

Dad thinks Dr. Voss isn't assertive enough. Dr. Voss thinks I'm not assertive enough. She says that kids like Bubba help us get ready for life.

Now that I'm a fifth grader, my dad tells me not to worry about Bubba. He says that I've got a lot more on the ball than Bubba does, and that one day Alvin Bixby will be working for me.

But he's wrong on two counts. First, that's forever away. And second, I wouldn't hire Bubba in a million years.

I'd fire him.

Say . . . what if I could fire Bubba from school? Wouldn't that be cool? Just kick him out and tell him to never come back. I could eat lunch without him flipping over my tray. Play four-square without him hogging the ball. Line up for class without him taking cuts and shoving the rest of us back. Oh, yeah. School without Bubba would be a whole new place.

I have to admit that our teacher, Mr. Green, tries to keep Bubba in line, but Mr. Green's already got one full-time job teaching fifth grade, and my mom says it's hard for him to take on another in the middle of it.

Plus, Bubba's sly. So no matter how hard Mr. Green tries, Bubba gets away with stuff.

Like lying.

And cheating.

And stealing.

My magic-rub eraser is in Bubba's desk right now with the initials B.B. gouged into it. So are some of my colored pencils. And probably my favorite The Gecko and Sticky magazine and the Dinosaurs library book I keep getting a reminder on.

It's not just my stuff that gets stolen. Bubba takes things from everybody. Even his friends, Kevin and Max. Actually, I think he steals from them the most.

The only thing Bubba's ever given anyone is names. I used to be Nolan Byrd. Now I'm Byrd-the-Nerd.

Or just plain Nerd.

Jake is Bucktooth. Trey is Butthead. Marvin is Moron. Todd is Toad, Ian is Fizz, Jenni is Worm-lips, Trinity is Pony-girl, Kayla is Freckle, Sarah is Kiss-up . . . everyone's got two names: one from their parents and one from Bubba.

His names stick, too. If Bubba calls you something a few times, you'll hear it over and over again from everyone. Some people like their names. Like Brian Washington. Even the teachers call him Gap because he wants them to. He doesn't have a gap between his front teeth anymore, but Bubba called him that in second grade, and he hasn't been Brian since.

So that's Bubba. He calls you names. He steals your stuff. He breathes putrid fumes in your face.

And even though I've always wanted to do something about it, I could never figure out what. I'm half Bubba's size and don't exactly want to die in elementary school.

So I just eat lunch far away from him, make room when he's cutting in line, and let him call me Nerd.

It's not fair, but at least I'm still alive.

Table of Contents

1	Shreddin' Sidekick	1
2	Toasting Peanut Butter	9
3	Du-uh!	18
4	Toilet Bowl Spy	26
5	The Can Turns Up	35
6	Old Town	44
7	Fighting Back	53
8	Along for the Ride	63
9	Mapping Out Evidence	72
10	Spraying Cyberspace!	81
11	Mistaken Identity	89
12	Mom and Dad Boot Up	98
13	Dirty Disguise	110
14	Trash Sack Hero	119
15	Up, Up, and Away!	133
16	Busted!	147
17	Truth and Justice Prevail!	158

Editorial Reviews

"Equipped with a genuinely juvenile sense of humor (but a clear sense of right and wrong, too), this engagingly bright, complex fifth-grade sleuth will sweep readers into his newest jet-propelled adventure."—Kirkus Reviews

"Fast, funny, and technologcially up-to-the-minute."—Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 3-6-Nolan's life has not been the same since he invented Shredderman. Sure, he's still called "nerd," and he avoids running into bully Bubba Bixby, but now he's secretly a cyber-hero. As such, Nolan knows he's the man for the job when graffiti is spray-painted around Cedar Valley and the culprit cannot be caught. However, things do not go as planned as Shredderman is accused of being the tagger, and he is under the clock to see that truth and justice prevail before his true identity comes to light. Van Draanen delivers an entertaining sequel to Secret Identity (Knopf, 2004), packed with plenty of action and humor to keep kids, especially reluctant readers, turning the pages and rooting for Nolan. As in the first book, Biggs's black-and-white illustrations capture the humor and action of the straightforward plot.-Christine McGinty, Albany Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Self-styled "cyber-superhero" Nolan Byrd once again wields digital camera and Web site in defense of truth, justice, and just deserts for bullies. Someone's painting silly faces all over town, and Nolan, thanks to some sharp observation and a conveniently overheard conversation, suspects that Bubba Bixby, the previous episode's bully-de-jour, knows who. So how to unmask the vandal, without revealing his own secret "Shredderman" identity? Like a younger Sammy Keyes, Nolan springs into action, "blasting" through doorways, "zooming" down streets, and working on a complicated plan to post a video of the baddie in action-all while springing through several running subplots, both at home and at school. Equipped with a genuinely juvenile sense of humor (but a clear sense of right and wrong, too), plus a serious addiction to exclamation points, this engagingly bright, complex fifth-grade sleuth will sweep readers into his newest jet-propelled adventure. (Illustrations not seen) (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews

Narrator Daniel Young is nothing short of awesome in this second Shredderman story. The problem this time around is graffiti, which is appearing all over Cedar Valley, including the elementary school and faculty members’ cars. Nolan Byrd, self-proclaimed nerd, has a whole separate identity as a cyberhero. Nolan welcomes the challenge to put a stop to the vandalism and is soon deep into searching for the culprit, much to his overprotective mother’s dismay. In addition to getting youthful emotion and rivalry down perfectly, the 11-year-old narrator is also winning as Mr. Green, a guitar-strumming teacher, and Dr. Voss, the uptight school principal. Kids will love this true-to-life story and be engaged by Young’s narration. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 07 - AudioFile