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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
This book wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being when I first read it 5 years ago. I still don’t think it’s good though. These kids were so cruel and disrespectful. A good portion of this book made me really angry. The only thing I really liked was the end where Tom realized he was better off without Jeff and stopped caring if people knew him and Jessica were somewhat friends. I really don’t think most of the characters actions in the beginning were redeemed at the ending. I don’t really think much of a lesson was really learned.
Book 26/30 for 30 Books in 30 Days.
Book 26/30 for 30 Books in 30 Days.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was an excellent, heart warming story. As an adult I knew the story line almost immediately, but it was well written and made you want to read it. I finished it quickly.
A short novel (144 pp) about the arrival of Jessica, a severely burned girl, in Tom's 7th grade class, and how she (and his treatment of her) makes him rethink himself and his friends. She has come to be treated at a local hospital--surgeries, skin grafts, etc.
Very true to typical, joking, teasing, tween/teen language. Tom would never TELL anyone he liked the beautiful, smart Courtney (he imagines rescuing her, like a comic book hero) and then he spews it out while trying to keep his friends from BSing about Jessica, just to change the subject. They wonder about Jessica, and in the absence of hard info, make up incredible, sensational stuff--e.g. she killed her sister and is in hiding.
Tom's best friend Jeff, always scattered and slightly disruptive, gets worse as his parents' divorce weighs on him. Jessica becomes a handy target--he refuses to hold her hand during a prayer in their Catholic school. Tom does.
Tom voices very vivid, detailed descriptions of seeing Jessica for the first time, sitting near her in class, and later taking her HW to her house and talking to her. He tells her about his theory of super heroes, that they should have smaller, almost useless powers because it's more of a challenge, and you can't ask for too much*. Tom pulls no punches in describing how hard it is to be with Jessica, and how much he'd rather not. In the end, he was somewhat kind, almost by accident. And wishes he had done better. (“500 Dresses” grows up.)
We don't get much from Jessica's POV--she's very quiet, shares that she hates her mother (but doesn't really, we see later) and eventually, when she's moving )after only 3 weeks) to seek better treatment options, that she's got bigger troubles than whether kids are nice to her. "Because you shouldn't ask for too much, right? You told me that."
For kids who loved Wonder or Out of My Mind. We have this in YA but there's nothing really teen about it. *Also, it would be interesting to talk about heroism--Tom is afraid of so many things, wishes he weren't. Does it take courage to be kind? Who can be a hero?
Very true to typical, joking, teasing, tween/teen language. Tom would never TELL anyone he liked the beautiful, smart Courtney (he imagines rescuing her, like a comic book hero) and then he spews it out while trying to keep his friends from BSing about Jessica, just to change the subject. They wonder about Jessica, and in the absence of hard info, make up incredible, sensational stuff--e.g. she killed her sister and is in hiding.
Tom's best friend Jeff, always scattered and slightly disruptive, gets worse as his parents' divorce weighs on him. Jessica becomes a handy target--he refuses to hold her hand during a prayer in their Catholic school. Tom does.
Tom voices very vivid, detailed descriptions of seeing Jessica for the first time, sitting near her in class, and later taking her HW to her house and talking to her. He tells her about his theory of super heroes, that they should have smaller, almost useless powers because it's more of a challenge, and you can't ask for too much*. Tom pulls no punches in describing how hard it is to be with Jessica, and how much he'd rather not. In the end, he was somewhat kind, almost by accident. And wishes he had done better. (“500 Dresses” grows up.)
We don't get much from Jessica's POV--she's very quiet, shares that she hates her mother (but doesn't really, we see later) and eventually, when she's moving )after only 3 weeks) to seek better treatment options, that she's got bigger troubles than whether kids are nice to her. "Because you shouldn't ask for too much, right? You told me that."
For kids who loved Wonder or Out of My Mind. We have this in YA but there's nothing really teen about it. *Also, it would be interesting to talk about heroism--Tom is afraid of so many things, wishes he weren't. Does it take courage to be kind? Who can be a hero?
Confused through the first 4 chapters, got better when Tom went to Jessica's house, ending was subtle. Honstly, the school didn't bother me. And good message about friends.
I really enjoyed this short book about how a seventh grade boy changes after a new girl joins his class. The girl has survived a horrible fire and is disfigured. Not much happens, but the book is still a page turner.
A quiet book about the nature of friendship, and having the courage to say what you feel. 7th grader Tom's life changes when new girl Jessica joins his class. She was badly burned in an accident and is an outcast from other students, and Tom isn't exactly popular either. Gradually he gets to know her better, at the same time that he and his longtime best friend are starting to grow apart over stuff like cars and comic books. Has funny scenes where Tom imagines he'd rescue the class's hot popular girl in superhero fashion.
This is an extraordinarily good book about the arrival of a severely burned girl to Tom's grade seven-class in a catholic school. Most students recoil in terror as rumours swirl about how she got burned and who was responsible. But Tom sees something else in Jessica's scarred face and reaches out to her. This changes how he looks at the world, as he begins to see how shallow and cruel some of his peers actually are. It also changes how his peers see him.
A book that should appeal to boys and girls. Also good for dealing with the issues of acceptance and how we judge people by appearance.
A book that should appeal to boys and girls. Also good for dealing with the issues of acceptance and how we judge people by appearance.
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For the age group it is meant for I think it is a good book that teaches compassion in simple terms. It is heartbreaking and touching, but most of all just evokes emotions.
I first read this book when I was in 3rd grade and I have never forgotten about it. I strongly believe in teaching children to be compassionate human beings and that reading is one way to do that. I think this book shows young kids how important it is to be kind and stand up for people.
One critique I have is that only one character learned to be kind. In reality I would hope for most people in the class to reach out more not just the fat, sweaty kid with dyslexia who needed a manic pixie dream girl to make him realize his friend is a jerk. I wish that it was less of a manic pixie dream girl book, but overall I think it was great.
I first read this book when I was in 3rd grade and I have never forgotten about it. I strongly believe in teaching children to be compassionate human beings and that reading is one way to do that. I think this book shows young kids how important it is to be kind and stand up for people.
One critique I have is that only one character learned to be kind. In reality I would hope for most people in the class to reach out more not just the fat, sweaty kid with dyslexia who needed a manic pixie dream girl to make him realize his friend is a jerk. I wish that it was less of a manic pixie dream girl book, but overall I think it was great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Medical content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On the seventh grade social scale, Tom doesn't rate very high. Near-invisibility suits him just fine, but he is forced out of his shell when a new girl joins the class. Jessica, a burn victim, disrupts the order of the seventh grade with her frightening appearance, and the trauma that she's been through makes Tom question what is really important in life. Will he risk being made fun of in order to reach out to Jessica when no one else will?