Gennifer Choldenko's young adult novel If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period is the story of two middle school students: Kirsten and Walker. Kirsten is a fat girl with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Walker is an African-American boy who has been transplanted from his city school to attend a hoity-toity all-white private school. The novel is narrated by both Kirsten and Walker in alternating chapters.
Choldenko writes with the bitter honesty that is middle school. She especially has a keen sense of how bitterly adolescent girls treat each other. As a formerly plump teenager (now, I'm no longer a teen, but still plump!), I have felt that cruelty. Kirsten's feelings are palatable. I enjoyed reading the novel through Kirsten's eyes as I saw a bit of myself.
Walker's chapters were equally well-narrated. It is impressive to me that Choldenko speaks as well for a young man as she does for a young lady. However, the story itself is a bit contrived. Up until the secret is revealed, the story was plausible. I felt the story fell apart after that point.
All in all, I would definitely recommend If a Tree Falls, if merely for the bully aspects. The scenes created will provide excellent talking points in the classroom. I may even decide to use this story as one of my read alouds.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Omg another Gennifer with a g !!!! I hope can can read something of hers!- Geniffer
I enjoyed this book a lot, Gen, but I'm not sure it it's your type of book. But, give it a try and let me know what you think!
Post a Comment