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2.98 AVERAGE
2.98 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When a disruptive student gets sent to the principal's office for refusing to stop humming the Star Spangled Banner instead of observing the song in respectful silence, the whole thing gets blown waaaay out of proportion.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Philip Malloy only cares about running, and has dreams of Olympic glory. However, he is now in high school and is supposed to actually do some work. But he doesn't like English and doesn't do the required work. His subsequent D keeps him off the track team, he blames the teacher. When he is transferred into her homeroom, he decides to irritate her by humming during the playing of the national anthem. All escalates until there are terrible consequences for him, for her, and for the school system.
honestly, i still hate this book. i think of it and it makes me mad. it just is so stupid. the whole thing is a massive eye roll. never again.
Taking off a star because I didn't feel connected to any of the characters in particular (mostly because we didn't get enough in anyone's head to feel that way) but the book was addictive--I read it almost in one sitting and definitely made me feel strongly.
Philip Malloy has decided that his English teacher is the only person who is keeping him from a position on the track team. He begins to hum the national anthem in her class. The humming leads to his suspension. He pretends that the reason he was humming was because he is patriotic, not because he was angry with the teacher and was purposefully trying to annoy the teacher.
The characters are a bit hard to get to know because the story is told in transcripts, memos, and diary entries. I didn't really feel sorry for the student. I felt sorry for the teacher, but I am biased, since I am an English teacher.
The characters are a bit hard to get to know because the story is told in transcripts, memos, and diary entries. I didn't really feel sorry for the student. I felt sorry for the teacher, but I am biased, since I am an English teacher.
A story that shows how "truth" has many sides to it.
Only got four stars because the characters all seemed selfish/narrow-minded, so I found it hard to relate and connect to them.
Only got four stars because the characters all seemed selfish/narrow-minded, so I found it hard to relate and connect to them.
So, I've seen quite a few really low reviews of people disliking the book for its crummy main character and the storyline in general. I think there may be some confusion on how things play out and why they are significant.
First, no, it's not the greatest book ever, but I do think it makes some really important points especially for today's world. There are no victims or heroes here. All of them carry some responsibility for what happened. Yes, Philip is a little jerk. He's cocky and petulant and lazy and absolutely gets his comeuppance. He gets what he deserves in the end and realizes the consequences of his actions too late. He absolutely sees himself as a victim, but he's not. The adults in the novel vary in levels of culpability as well. Some of them are just trying to cover their own rears, some have agendas they are pushing, some just don't get a chance to say anything. The media aspect in this is also true-to-life. How often do we see something on the news and get the full story? Never. There is always an angle.
This is a cautionary tale.
First, no, it's not the greatest book ever, but I do think it makes some really important points especially for today's world. There are no victims or heroes here. All of them carry some responsibility for what happened. Yes, Philip is a little jerk. He's cocky and petulant and lazy and absolutely gets his comeuppance. He gets what he deserves in the end and realizes the consequences of his actions too late. He absolutely sees himself as a victim, but he's not. The adults in the novel vary in levels of culpability as well. Some of them are just trying to cover their own rears, some have agendas they are pushing, some just don't get a chance to say anything. The media aspect in this is also true-to-life. How often do we see something on the news and get the full story? Never. There is always an angle.
This is a cautionary tale.