Hilarious. Freakin' hilarious. That's all I can really say. This was the first time in a while that I have actually laughed out loud this much over a book. If I had to try to otherwise describe this book it would be by calling it a more modern day version of The Power of One for a younger audience. Same type of coming of age story, same type of setting, same type of struggle (personal and national), just a little lighter and geared towards the younger set. It could really even be put in the same camp as Catcher and Perks, really. Yet another book that I wouldn't use as a class text, unfortunately, but one that I definitely intend to have in my classroom library. Probably even two copies of it.
The main character in the novel is Spud Milton, a young man in his first year at a private boarding school. He comes from a family that will make yours look painfully normal and boring, and his generally crummy attitude and snyde remarks work to create a lot of humor in the novel. Spud is a pretty outgoing kid, and his crew of cronies create an interesting cast of characters that make for a fun account of a crazy year through Spuds journal entries.
This book is awesome for boys, still pretty great for girls, and definitely good for anyone age 12 and up based on the difficulty of the text and the content, I would say. The text serves as a sort of history lesson in a way, too, because it takes place in South Africa during the time that Nelson Mandela was released from political prison and could easily serve as a great way to consider world events and the impact that a corrupt ruling system has on a nation.
1 comment:
this sounds like one I should put on my list. I think I have seen it written up elsewhere. And, it sounds funny, which is always a good thing.
Nice commentary about it, Chrissy.
Post a Comment