16-year-old Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learns to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humerous, entertaining, and life-changing.
Here is our current 7th & 8th grade book club book. It is about a young boy named Woodrow, who's mother strangely disappears and he is left to be raised by his grandparents. Next door to his grandparent's house is where his cousin, Gypsy, lives. Woodrow and Gypsy soon become best friends as they have a common goal - to find out what happened to Woodrow's mother. Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition. As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them. |
AuthorBOLD Media Center 7th & 8th grade book club Archives
September 2013
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