The deadline for our essay contest is coming quick – November 15th! Just in case you would like to do a last minute entry, I wrote up a few book reviews on our book selections. These are great books to read even if you don’t do the essay!
RULES: This book is actually a long time favorite of mine. I read it back in fourth grade for a school essay and I loved it. The main character is a girl who has a younger brother who has autism. It is about her life and having to adjust to her brother’s needs. It is hard on the entire family when there is a child with any sort of disability. This books shows that it is okay to feel upset that your family member (with the disability). It is normal to feel jealous of the attention they get. The surprise of the book is the unlikely friendship she creates with a boy she meets. Rules teaches you to accept everyone. Everyone is different and different is good, so why not accept all differences. I hope this book really gets you thinking!
WONDER: Can I just say that this is an absolutely outstanding book. I could not put it down. It is about a 10-year-old boy named August whom has a facial deformity. It shows how hard his life is and how he has gone through so much, not only because of his many surgeries, but because people bully him. This book shows how much courage August has and how you should never make fun of someone because of how they look. One thing about this book that makes it so good is that it shows August’s story from many points of few. Never judge a book by a cover and never judge someone on how they appear. Read this book! You will thank me!
BYSTANDER: It is about a young boy, Eric, who just moved to a new town ands is starting a new school. He doesn’t know anyone and is looking for some friends. He befriends another boy but soon realizes that this boy is actually quite mean and bullies other kids. Sadly at first Eric does nothing about it. He is the bystander. This book shows the different parts of bullying and how if you see anyone getting bullied, you should help them and stand up to the bully.
SPEAK: This is truly a touching story. It is about a young girl who gets raped by a classmate but does not tell anyone. Imagine how she must have felt? She probably felt so alone and afraid. This story shows how you should never judge someone because you do not know what they have been through. You don’t know why they choose to act or look a certain way. This book was so captivating that I read it in about 1 hour – I could not put it down!
13 REASONS WHY: This is such a great book especially since it is bully prevention month. It is about a girl who commits suicide. Before she takes her life she records audiotapes and sends them to the thirteen people who have directly caused this tragic event. This book shows you how bullying and gossiping can effect someone’s life. Even small things can snowball and really hurt other people. Bullying is not something to take lightly and it can ruin someone’s life. The main character goes through so much. Through the book you grow to love and care for this character. You grieve for her. This book is a great reminder that you never know what someone’s situation is so never judge.
Happy Reading!