If you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?
This book by Sharon M. Draper is about eleven year old Isabella who has been through this situation. Her father is black, and her mother is white, and now that her parents are divorced, Isabella feels like a push-me-pull-me toy. Isabella learns to define her identity, and find her voice through personal and social visits. She’s constantly changing between visiting her mom, and her dad that seems to add a lot of pressure on her. Continue reading “Blended”→
This book by Corey Ann Haydu is about Elodee, her twin Naomi who along with their family move from Juniper to a place called Eventown. This seems like a great move for them, because it is a chance for a fresh start. Things in Eventown are exciting and perfect when they first move. The food that Elodee cooks is amazing, her father’s rose bush is blooming and her mother is the happiest she’s ever been. There is also a Welcoming Center, where you talk about your most embarrassing, angry, or scary stories and then your memories are locked forever.
This book by Gordon Korman is about a boy called Chase who fell off his roof. He woke up in the hospital remembering nothing. The doctors told him he had amnesia. He also loved to play football, but after his fall he couldn’t play, since he had dislocated his shoulder too. When he was able to go back to school, he saw kids with very different reactions towards him. Some of them treated him like a hero, others were very afraid of him. After, not playing football for months, he decided to join the video club where he met Shoshana Weber -Joel Webers sister. Before Chase’s fall, Chase and his 2 best friends Aaron and Bear would bully Joel so much that Joel had to leave and go to a boarding school.
My Thoughts.
Each chapter is written with the perspective of a different character. I didn’t realize this until I read a couple chapters. This book was quite different book because the main character was actually a bully . How often do we see that? It seemed upsetting at first. however, when Chase joined the video club and realized he was actually decent at filming, it lifted the sadness that was floating around. There was also bits of humor sprinkling around in the book.
My favorite character was Chase because he was a different person after the accident. I think this meant that perhaps people can change for the better. Even bullies. My least favorite character was Shoshana’s mom and dad because even though they don’t have a major part in the book . They didn’t believe Shoshana when she said that Chase was a different person after his fall.
The author’s writing was brilliant. He was able to have me hooked from the very first page. Korman used simple but effective writing and carried the story forward at a good pace.
This book is available at the ASD school library. Maybe you can check your school library to see if it’s there.
This book called George by Alex Gino is about this girl named George, but when people look at her they see a boy. Her teacher says their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. Now, George really wants to play Charlotte’s role but she’s not allowed to because she’s a boy. But with her best friend, Kelly by her side, George comes up with a plan…
As soon as the roles for who is going to be who in the play is out, George realizes that her best friend, Kelly is Charlotte. Even worse, Jeff and Rick the class bullies keep on hectoring George calling her names like “FREAK” even punching George right in the stomach.
What this book teaches us:
The book teaches us how to be brave and stand up for ourselves, and how to not be ashamed of who we are. Furthermore, it teaches us not to give up. In the book, George had the determination to be Charlotte and didn’t give up despite the fact her teacher said no.
How I felt during this book:
It was definitely an emotional roller coaster. George had many ups and downs. For example getting bullied was a put down but being able to tell Kelly what she was feeling over the phone made her feel better. In the end George knows that she has Kelly and her family by her side every step of the way.
My favorite part of the book was when George fought back with Jeff, “accidentally” dropping a piece of paper on his back that said ‘SOME JERK’. My favorite character was Kelly because she helped George when she was feeling upset.
Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown is about a boy named Flint who is losing his vision unfortunately because of a disease called ‘keratoconus’. He has a passion for drawing comics and has entered a competition for the best comic!
On the journey of drawing his comics, he meets a girl named McKell. McKell has some hidden talents herself but doesn’t share it because she fears being judged by others. Flint and McKell soon become good friends and they are learn to trust each other and most importantly believe in themselves!
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