Module 13 - Knights of the Lunch Table

Knights of the Lunch Table; The Dodgeball Chronicles

by Frank Cammuso

ISBN  9780439903226

Summary:

Artie King is a new student at Camelot Middle School.  His first day starts off on the wrong foot when his sister makes him a nasty lunch, he misses the school bus and must walk to school, and he irritates the principal and her gang of student bullies.  He is given the worst (?!) locker in school and somehow he leads all the kids into believing he was a dodgeball champ at his old school.  Thankfully, along the way, he makes some good friends and has the help of the science teacher, Mr. Merlin.

My Impressions:

I thought this was a great book.  The illustrations were easy to follow and really helped me understand the story better.  I can definitely see this book being a favorite among the Lunch Lady and Wimpy Kid followers.  I don't think elementary kids will get all the Arthurian references, but it certainly made fun reading for me.  I loved the thread running through the book about Hannibal, the tarantula.  Students will have fun looking for him in various frames throughout the book.  Most kids will be able to relate to Artie in some way: being the new kid, trying to make new friends, being scared of the principal, and trying to figure out your locker (although he has a particularly awesome locker).

Professional Reviews:

Camelot Middle School isn’t your ordinary middle school. There’s the locker Artie King is assigned that has never been opened. The student that can open it will be a king to all students. There are the ladies of the lunch that tell the future by reading the lunch menu. Mr. Merlyn the science teacher seems nice but is weird. Then there’s dodgeball. The Knights of the Lunch Table must play the Horde to defend their honor and help Mr. Merlyn keep his job. Children might not understand all of the references to King Arthur of Camelot, but they will be able to relate to the characters. Adult readers will get a chuckle from the antics of Artie King as he tries to fit in to his new school. The story line is easy to understand by looking at the brightly colored illustrations. This graphic novel is easy to read panel to panel and pleasing to the eye with its thick lines and cartoony art.  Jergensen, J.  (2009, April 7).  Knights of the lunch table: The dodgeball chronicles.  Retrieved from: http://librarianschoices.blogspot.com/2009/04/knights-of-lunch-table-dodgeball.html

Having Fun in the Library:

http://www.scholastic.com/knightsofthelunchtable/

I would have the students start their own graphic novel.  They can choose to start with text or graphics.

Cammuso, F. (2008).  The knights of the lunch table; The dodgeball chronicles.  New York: Graphix/Scholastic.