Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger (Children's Literature)
When Dexter starts at a new school, he finds that he hates everyone. He hates the custodian for making the floor so slippery that he falls down. He hates the kids for laughing at him when he does. He hates the principal for asking where his parents are when they are across the country without him. He hates the school secretary for leaving him alone in the hall. So when he comes across a boy in the bathroom, he beats him up. So when his teacher tells him to write a story, he writes, “I am the new kid. I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid.” He didn’t mean to say that, but he couldn’t help himself. Although he later denies beating anyone up, his teacher sends him in search of more details for his story. He learns the boy in the bathroom is named Robin. Dexter realizes Robin is as unhappy at school as he is. But Robin responds differently. In fact, Robin introduces Dexter to the custodian, the principal, and to the school secretary. Will Dexter be able to face the real reason behind his anger? When Dexter begins to share his worries about his father’s illness, he begins to understand that first day of school may not have happened quite the way he remembered it. 2007, Simon & Schuster, $15.99. Ages 4 to 10.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Dexter hates his new school already. It is only the first day but how can he not? He has been sent away from his father who is sick with cancer and his distracted mother to live with an elderly grandmother he hardly knows. How can he care about a writing project his teacher is all excited about when he has just beaten up his first kid in the bathroom. Haddix uses simple words for the complicated feelings of a fourth grader and explains from the inside out what makes one bully so tough. 2007, Simon and Schuster, $15.99. Ages 8 to 11.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 22))
Dexter’s first assignment at his new school is to write an essay, and he describes beating up another boy before class. After some investigation, his alarmed teacher has him explore the situation further, which leads, ultimately, to Dexter befriending Robin, the victim. With understanding from his teacher and help from Robin, Dexter comes to grips with his own guilt and hostility, as well as the real reasons he threw the punch: feeling helpless and angry about his father’s cancer, missing his parents who have temporarily moved to obtain medical treatment, adjusting to life with his grandma and struggling to keep his emotions under control. In the end, Dexter discovers that his behavior was unfair but forgivable, and he is able to open up to his family and his new friend. While a trifle pedantic, the story unfolds realistically and provides an example of how violence and bullying may be prevented through patience and sensitivity. Dexter, a sympathetic and believable character, may help others come to grips with their own demons. 2007, Simon & Schuster, 144p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 7 to 10. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Betsy Ruffin (Library Media Connection, April 2007)
Using the springboard of a writing assignment, Haddix tells the story of Dexter the Tough. Dexter's first day at a new school gets off to a bad start, and he doesn't feel like writing a story. So he writes a few lines stating that he is tough and he beat up a kid. As Dexter, in continuing the writing process, elaborates on the story, he also must work out his feelings about the events in his life. Dexter is staying with his grandmother while his parents are in Seattle for his dad's cancer treatments. Dexter makes friends with the boy he writes about, who has his own problems, and finds out that rather than beat him up, he only hit Robin once. Children who have moved may well identify with some of Dexter's emotions, as well as those who have faced serious illness in their family. The characters are realistically drawn and the situations play out believably. The writing assignment is skillfully used and illustrates the process nicely. B&w line drawings in the book add agreeably to the text. The book is well-done with a built-in curriculum connection. Recommended. 2007, Simon & Schuster, 144pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 8 to 11.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 8))
Dexter’s first day at his new school does not get off to a good start; within moments of arriving he decided that he hates the principal, the janitor, the secretary, and all the kids, and he punches a boy that he found crying in the restroom. When his teacher, Ms. Abbott, asks him to write something about himself, he turns in a paper that reads, “I’m the new kid. I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid.” As Dexter writes and rewrites the story and works with his teacher on the revisions, he comes to understand exactly what happened that first morning in the boys’ room. He also seeks out his victim, a fellow fourth-grader named Robin who is also new to the school, and a somewhat cautious friendship begins between the two boys. Haddix’s latest novel offers a thoughtful exploration of a young boy’s coming to terms with inner rage (Dexter’s been sent to stay with his grandmother in Kentucky so his parents could go to Seattle where his father, who suffers from a life-threatening bone marrow disease, can get treatment), while simultaneously beginning to understand his own motives. The story successfully involves the reader, who reconstructs the events along with Dexter and thus shares the experience of self-discovery with him. Robin serves effectively as an aid in Dexter’s efforts to understand his own emotions, and his quiet assistance is well partnered with Dexter’s visible rage. This is a moving story of a boy working through anger and sadness in circumstances beyond his control. Occasional pencil sketches are stodgy, but they offer a deeper glimpse into Dexter’s world. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Simon, 141p., $15.99. Grades 3-5.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
I'm the new kid. I am tuf." Or so he'd like everyone to believe. Through a class writing project, mad-at-the-world Dexter (who's living with his grandma while his father undergoes cancer treatment) revises his story as his attitude changes. Dexter has an authentic voice that will connect with readers who've had similar experiences, or who know a not-so-tough-after-all kid like him. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2007, Simon, 142pp, 15.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.