Technolandy

Day 115b (of 2025/26) #blackHistoryMonth book recommendation – Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr (illustrated by Jes & Cindy Wibowo)

Some books knock politely.
Some books kick the door in wearing high tops and a cape stitched from awkward middle school memories.

Weirdo is the second kind.

When a recommendation trail starts with Jason Reynolds, I’m already leaning forward. But then the opening metaphor lands: the first day of school is basically the tutorial level before the real game begins. 

Yes. Exactly that.

Every school has its hidden side quests.
Its unspoken pro tips.
Its invisible rulebook written in social code and cafeteria seating charts.

“People are more like gardens than plants.”

That line. That’s the tweet. That’s the keynote slide. That’s the staff meeting mic drop.

Gardens require conditions. Care. Context.
No one blooms in concrete and then gets blamed for not photosynthesizing hard enough.

For anyone in education, this metaphor alone is worth the price of admission.

On Bullying and Boundaries

A powerful reminder appears in the middle of the mess:

It’s not your responsibility to fix people that bring you harm.

Read that again.

And the subtle but crucial clarification during conflict: the target does not owe acceptance of an apology. Accountability does not require emotional labour from the harmed.

That nuance is rare. And necessary.

The Quiet Bruises

The book doesn’t flinch from:

• The sting of “Did you actually write this?” in that plagiarism-accusation tone.
• The curated happiness of social media that whispers everyone else is thriving.
• The reality that not everyone wakes up excited for school.

There’s depression here. There’s self harm. There’s loneliness.

But there’s also evolution.

The Power of Finding Your Chat

Connection in schools is oxygen.
Yet new spaces feel risky. New clubs feel awkward. New people feel uncertain.

Until suddenly… you find your group.

And the weird isn’t weird anymore. It’s alignment.

On Being “Weird”

This book reclaims the word.

Weird becomes:
Why
Embracing
Individuality
Radically
Defies
Obstacles

Yes, I will absolutely be using that somewhere.

As my son likes to remind me, channeling a certain rhyming doctor: you’ve got to be odd to be number one.

Reading Age?

Not buying it.

This is one of those stories that stretches across grades and staff rooms. It belongs in:

• Comic book libraries
• Traditional libraries
• Classroom shelves
• Staff recommendation lists

Basically anywhere humans gather and occasionally feel like they don’t quite fit.

Thank you, Tony.

Fully recommending to readers!