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lyraswanson 's review for:
The Next Great Paulie Fink
by Ali Benjamin
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.
.