Warning! Unless you have express permission from young Russell Weinwright to access his personal journal, do not read any further. This blurb is strictly off-limits! Seriously, we mean it.

Okay, if you are still with us, here is what we can share- Russell is a middle schooler; he excessively doodles in his spiral notebook; he has two best friends, Charlotte and Preston; he is not-so-great at sports; and he is pond scum. Nicknamed Swamp Kid by his classmates, Russell has algae for hair, a tree trunk of a right arm, webbed toes, and a parsnip for a thumb. Also, Russell’s favorite meal is sunlight. Also, a frog lives in his arm.

In this notebook, Russell details, in both hilarious text and green-tinted illustrations (complete with ketchup stains!), what it’s like to be different, to be comfortable in his own skin (no matter how slimy), to discover his true talents, to avoid the intense stare of Mr. Finneca (his suspicious science teacher), and to find humor in the everyday weird.

This is The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid by writer and illustrator Kirk Scroggs, and you’ll never look at the bayou the same way again.