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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reread - - A Native American teen boy shares his journey from the reservation to public school off the reservation. He experiences racism and bullying for many reasons from both sides. He also discovers that he's pretty good at basketball at the new school. There are many hardships and growth of the characters. I absolutely found that the added graphics were a perfect addition to the story.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
Junior is such a believable and... immediate?... character that i had 0 problems with this being YA, like, yeah that's a 14 year old going thru what he's going thru. i almost cried a couple times :( been a long time since i could read a book in (basically) one sitting and it felt great except for that it was kinda devastating. man.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Look up the controversy of the author. (he has committed sexual harassment) I would not recommend the book.
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I haven’t read YA in a while so I wasn’t sure how I was going to get along with the story but I really enjoyed it.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a first-person POV story told by 14-year-old Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a member of the Spokane Indian Tribe. Arnold has grown up living on a reservation and is determined to get a good education so he leaves to attend Rearden, an all-white high school. The people on the Rez think he’s a traitor, and his new classmates aren’t very welcoming either as they bully him and make racist comments.
This is an underdog story filled with grief, determination, resilience, hope, racism, and identity. Junior faces immense challenges, from the sting of being labeled a traitor by his community to navigating a hostile new school environment while also grappling with significant health issues and an unstable home life. It truly felt like he couldn’t catch a break!
I think it’s incredibly relatable as it’s a coming-of-age story—starting a new school, friendship dynamics changing, meeting new friends, bullying, familial loss and love, and difficulties at home.
It was moving but also funny. Junior has a great personality, and his lighthearted approach at times to difficult situations was nice to read, and the ending was bittersweet.
If you’re someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward young adult novels, I would still recommend picking this up. It would be a perfect read for Banned Books Week later in the year!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant, scathing, grown-up and surprising in so many ways.