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April 24, 2008
THE PIGMAN by Paul Zindel
Have you ever seen two high school students hanging out with an elderly man? In the book The Pigman by Paul Zindel, John Conlan, a sophomore who is not happy with his life, and Lorraine Jensen, a sophomore who receives criticism from her mother on her looks, befriend Mr. Angelo Pignati (the Pigman), a lonely elderly man.
The Pigman always has a smile on his face, but inside he is full of sadness and secrets. The Pigman loves John and Lorraine’s company, so the trio goes shopping together and go to the zoo to see Mr. Pignati’s best friend, Bobo the baboon. Mr. Pignati becomes ill and goes to the hospital, and John and Lorraine are given the responsibility to take care of the Pigman’s home. Mr. Pignati is in for a surprise when he returns from the hospital. What he finds may ruin the friendship that John, Lorraine, and the Pigman share.
I recommend this book to middle school and high school students.
Japbani Nanda
Grade 8
W.T. Clarke Middle School
Posted by fjacksonem at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 9, 2008
MY MOST EXCELLENT YEAR by Steve Kluger
When high school juniors TC, Augie, and Alejandra have to write an essay entitled “My Most Excellent Year”, they all write about their freshmen year of high school. That was the year that Alejandra, the daughter of a former Mexican ambassador transferred to public school and met flamboyant, musical theater loving Augie and big hearted Red Sox fan TC. Alternating points of view, the characters communicate with each other through emails and instant messages and write letters to their dead heroes in which they reveal their often hilarious intimate feelings and dreams.
Full of unforgettable and extremely likeable characters, this book is a very entertaining read especially for fans of Broadway or baseball.
I recommend this book to teens in grades 9-12.
Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian
Posted by fjacksonem at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)