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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Ali Benjamin, you've made my list of favorite authors. This humorous, relatively lighthearted realistic fiction story touched my heart. I related to the protagonist 100%; you remember what it's really like to be 12. Thank you for this. So well done.... I recommend this to any middle school kid who enjoys realistic fiction.
Sometimes ordinary people do crummy things. And that's not the whole story. Those moments are not the complete picture of who someone is.
Sometimes ordinary people do crummy things. And that's not the whole story. Those moments are not the complete picture of who someone is.
This was a cute middle grade about being different, feeling like an outsider, bullying (from a bully's perspective, which was cool), and shenanigans. Unfortunately, I think my major problem is that my expectations weren't met. I expected a lot of the book to revolve around the reality tv-style competition, which in a way it did, but it didn't really go all the way for me. I'll likely be recommending this to kids, but it won't be at the top of my list as I wasn't ever in a "have to pick this back up ASAP" mood.
I really like Ali Benjamin's writing and her flair in creating unique characters. I liked "The Thing About Jellyfish" better, but I enjoyed this as well. Paulie Fink is a legend in an unconventional rural school. However, he disappeared at the beginning of the year, so the students are only left with the stories about him. Caitlyn moves from New York and feels out of place but quickly learns that these weirdos are her weirdos. So good. Loved the Allegory of the Cave.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
A story that includes a herd of goats? Count me in! In this middle grade book, Caitlyn moves to a rural town in the 7th grade and is not sure how to make friends with her 10 classmates. They all seem to idolize a student who has disappeared without a trace, Paulie Fink. As Caitlyn adjusts to the move and to her new school, she learns some important lessons about friendship and being yourself. The students learn some awesome Greek lessons that are applied to their lives as they stage a reality show type contest for the next great Paulie Fink. I thought the author did a great job describing how some people are mean just so they don't become the one that is picked on. There is a great balance of humor with real emotions. 5th grade and up.
I love how the plot in this story is told through Caitlyn’s perspective as well as through interviews with students and teachers. As each person tells about Paulie we start to build him up in our minds as this Ferris Bueller type of legend. We also learn about each character through the stories they share about Paulie. This plot device worked really well and kept the story fresh and interesting.
Sometimes in quirky stories you get flat caricatures that do not seem real (e.g. Pay Attention Carter Jones). However, Ali Benjamin does a fantastic job of making the characters in this story feel real. I could see Fiona and Gabby so vividly in my mind. Fiona was probably the greatest character in this story. She is that kid who drives you crazy, but who you cannot help but love. One of the best parts in this book is when Fiona hands Caitlyn her blazer and says, “You deserve the power of the blazer.” This was both hilarious and sweet.
Caitlyn, Henry, and Diego were also well developed characters. Many kids will relate to Caitlyn’s experience of moving to a new school. I liked that even though Henry loved facts and Diego sports, the author was able to develop their characters much deeper than that.
The setting in this book was extremely believable, even though this school is so different from what most children experience. It was easy to visualize each aspect of this house turned into a school. I loved reading about all the shenanigans with the goats.
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Sometimes in quirky stories you get flat caricatures that do not seem real (e.g. Pay Attention Carter Jones). However, Ali Benjamin does a fantastic job of making the characters in this story feel real. I could see Fiona and Gabby so vividly in my mind. Fiona was probably the greatest character in this story. She is that kid who drives you crazy, but who you cannot help but love. One of the best parts in this book is when Fiona hands Caitlyn her blazer and says, “You deserve the power of the blazer.” This was both hilarious and sweet.
Caitlyn, Henry, and Diego were also well developed characters. Many kids will relate to Caitlyn’s experience of moving to a new school. I liked that even though Henry loved facts and Diego sports, the author was able to develop their characters much deeper than that.
The setting in this book was extremely believable, even though this school is so different from what most children experience. It was easy to visualize each aspect of this house turned into a school. I loved reading about all the shenanigans with the goats.
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Oh yeah dit boek was zo fijn, precies het boek dat ik nodig had. Heel mooi, zulke leuke personages en wat een geweldige ontknoping, love it!!!
FIVE HUGE LOUD STARS for this book. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I picked this up, but I couldn't put this one down. I cried a couple times and literally clapped when it was over because I wanted to give the book and the characters (and Paulie Fink) a standing ovation. This is a book that will make you think and examine life and I absolutely recommend it.