If you were given powers that would allow you to be an amazing athlete, but only for six months, and only until you solve the one problem that needs to be solved, what would you do?


In Arnie’s case, it would be to get rid of the gang of bullies at his school. These bullies are the sports kids that are the best at what they do. And if you can’t beat them at whatever game they are good at, you are banned from the best park, and you have to wear a loser hat.


Arnie is tired of wearing the loser hat, so when he gets that chance, that chance to be good in any sport, he takes it. And, as you can probably guess, it all goes to his head, and he forgets the whole point.


Although that part, the getting drunk with being good at sports, and thus being popular, was not that unusual, what was unusual was how he turned things around. Because, there are more to games than the kind one plays on the field.


I ended up enjoying this story. I like the twist. I like how Arnie came around. I liked how the problem was solved. I think this would be a great book for kids that are better at the kinds of games you can win sitting down, rather than running around. And certainly it will be good for kids that have to deal with bullies.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 28th of October 2025.

Really enjoyed this the power of standing up to bullies, believing in yourself, owning your strengths and weaknesses. There’s a lovely sense of mentorship in this with the older NFL player too!

Overall, this is a lovely Middle Grades or young-Young Adult graphic novel. The message is important and the art is energetic. There are a few moments that are slow or overly long, but they're overshadowed by the genuine feeling friendships. As an adult, I most appreciated the way the parents were brought into the fold in the end, even if they were the most maddening element at the beginning.

I look forward to more work from these artists and hearing how kids approach this book when it makes it out into the world.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

"Indoor Kid" is a middle grade graphic novel by Mat Heagerty and Lisa DuBois-Thompson about a kid, Arnie, who loves sports, but is terrible at them. Unfortunately the rest of his family is very athletic and at his school all of the most athletic kids are the coolest and basically bully all of the other kids. When Arnie is given a medal that increases his athletic ability (for a limited amount of time) he says that he will use it to stop the bullies, but instead becomes one. An interesting story with great illustrations. While it lacks subtlety, middle grade readers will enjoy and understand Arnie's journey. A recommended purchase for middle grade graphic novel collections.

This was so great! I really loved that it shows how easy it is to get sucked into the idea that popularity will magically fix everything. I also love that He wanted the power, originally, so he could take on the bullies. I thought so many of the jokes were great. It was short, but altogether really great. Don't let the bullies win!

Arnie is not very good at sports. In fact, he is terrible at them. Unfortunately, his hometown of Muscletown is all about athletics, and the jocks are in charge. Anyone who wants to play in the park has to beat the bullies in an athletic challenge. It usually doesn't go very well. But when Arnie comes across some magic that turns him into the athlete he's always wanted to be, he sees an opportunity to change things. But will his new power go to his head?

This book was an absolute delight. The art is great, the story is engaging, and the message is a good one. Definitely will be adding this one to my elementary school library.