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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
This was lots of fun the plenty of heart - the sort of book that's written for middle schoolers, but never really grows old and noone's too old for it - in other words, the best sort of book.
The idea and some of the plot points are not the most original, but the multiple first person narrations bring this story to life. Each voice is distinct and unique and, most importantly, feels real and true - true to character and true to life.
And it packs a punch for the adult readers as well - illuminating the uglier sides of our education system and the far reaching consequences of them in harsh unflinching light.
Brilliant.
The idea and some of the plot points are not the most original, but the multiple first person narrations bring this story to life. Each voice is distinct and unique and, most importantly, feels real and true - true to character and true to life.
And it packs a punch for the adult readers as well - illuminating the uglier sides of our education system and the far reaching consequences of them in harsh unflinching light.
Brilliant.
[taps mic] PLEASE READ THIS IT GOT ME OUT OF A MAJOR SLUMP A FEW YEARS AGO & IS ONE OF MY #1 COMFORT BOOKS [clears throat] thank you.
adventurous
relaxing
medium-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
Cute story about a class deemed unreachable trying to save their teacher from being fired. Shows great character development and themes of forgiveness, not judging a book by its cover and changing for the better from a rough past
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
My kids and I adored listening to this book on audio. It was a fantastic full cast recording (when normally we hate full cast recordings). The writing, the pacing, the tone, the narrative voices - all stellar. The only thing that keeps it from being a 5 star read is the utter improbability of most of the plot points throughout the novel.
Mr. Kermit never once had to fill out an attendance sheet the whole time to notice Kiana wasn’t on it? Parker got to 8th grade without a single teacher (or his parents) noticing he’s blatantly/glaringly/not even the tiniest bit subtly dyslexic? The school actually approved and paid for 3x weekly bus trips to the same “field trip” destination? Does Emma ever teach anything in her classes except for circle time? Nobody cares that Mr. Kermit and Emma are constantly covering for each other’s classes? Or asking Jake (who is not any kind of school system employee) to cover for them? The list goes on and on.
If you’re willing to completely suspend your disbelief on all of these things, then The Unteachables is an incredibly fun and satisfying read.
Mr. Kermit never once had to fill out an attendance sheet the whole time to notice Kiana wasn’t on it? Parker got to 8th grade without a single teacher (or his parents) noticing he’s blatantly/glaringly/not even the tiniest bit subtly dyslexic? The school actually approved and paid for 3x weekly bus trips to the same “field trip” destination? Does Emma ever teach anything in her classes except for circle time? Nobody cares that Mr. Kermit and Emma are constantly covering for each other’s classes? Or asking Jake (who is not any kind of school system employee) to cover for them? The list goes on and on.
If you’re willing to completely suspend your disbelief on all of these things, then The Unteachables is an incredibly fun and satisfying read.
Read aloud as a bedtime story. We all enjoyed the story and the characters - one in particular had us in stitches throughout. Good ending for a feel good book.
