Tag / middle school

by cholliman1

“Too Bright To See” by Kyle Lukoff

Title: Too Bright To See

Author: Kyle Lukoff

Publication Year: 2021

The Plot: Growing up in rural Vermont, eleven year old Bug has always believed that her 150 year old house was haunted. With the recent passing of her Uncle Roderick, the ghosts in her house seem even more active. Life outside her house has also gotten more complicated as middle school approaches and her best friend Moira seems intent on recreating herself with lip gloss, makeup, and a new fixation on boys. Will Bug be able to also find her true self to quiet the ghosts in the house and survive the social scene at middle school?

My Take: This book did not interest me, but I believe that it is the right selection for some readers. Spoilers prevent me from saying more about this, but this book will speak to a narrow audience of young people struggling with themselves. Rather than being driven by the plot, author Kyle Lukoff prefers to draw attention to Bug’s inner life and her close relationships to her mother, best friend Moira, and her deceased uncle. Also, the supernatural elements in the book mirror Bug’s inner turbulence, a combination that works well as these elements collide to produce some unexpected outcomes. Even thought I was not captivated by this book, I can see the value in its message and believe that it will truly speak to certain readers.

One Interesting Thing About The Author: According to his website, Kyle Lukoff was hired at a bookstore when he was sixteen. Which means that he’s been working at the intersection of books and people for half his life.

by cholliman1

“Wonder” by R.J. Palacio

wonderThe Plot In 5 Sentences Or Less:  Auggie Pullman was born with a severe craniofacial difference that has set him apart from others since birth.  He has endured over a dozen surgeries to cosmetically craft his face and make his eating and speech easier.  Home schooled all of his life, this year he is entering Middle School and must mix with the general population of children his own age.  As he begins the school year, Auggie fortunately makes friends with Summer and Jack Will, but a clique of popular kids set their sights on torturing him.  Will Auggie make it through the school year and survive the cruel social nightmare of Middle School?

My Take:   Believe the hype.  This book was so good and it lived up to its acclaim.  I was relieved because I had just finished reading Divergent by Veronia Roth, another very popular book, and I could barely get through it.  But Wonder kept its promise.  What struck me as excellent was Palacio’s ear for convincing dialogue and details.    The mean notes slipped into lockers, the fickle friendships, the lunchroom social cliques– all of these details impress upon the reader the cruelty of Middle School.  As Auggie endures the searing trial of  making it through 5th grade, we as readers are right along with him and hoping that he can survive the year.  Goosebumps on my arm at the end told me that this book is special, that it is a book that needs to read by as many people as possible, to remind us all, without saccharine sentimentality, that a little extra kindness is a wonderful thing.

One Interesting Note About the Author:  R. J. Palacio decided to write this book after she and her sons had an uncomfortable encounter with a girl with a severe craniofacial difference outside of an ice cream shop.