Trash Can Days
by Teddy Steinkellner
The best part of the soon-to-be released Trash Can Days by Teddy Steinkellner, was that there was at least one character in the story that every middle school student could relate to. There is Hannah, the beautiful and popular girl. Her brother Jake, smart and under-developed. His best friend Danny, who is Mexican and works for Jake's family and grew a foot over the summer. Dorothy, Jake's new quirky Asian friend who breaks the stereotype by being bad at math. And a cast of peripheral characters that act as foils to the main characters.
I think many middle school students will see their own lives reflected among the four main characters that Steinkellner has created. And, in typical, Disney fashion, will learn a valuable lesson along the way. This book would be an asset on every middle school library shelf.
There were several things in this book that struck me as rather too mature for a middle school audience. It had its funny moments, but I would feel uncomfortable handing it to one of my students.
ReplyDeletePERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER'S kid brother (and sister)! This hilarious book carries a great, good-hearted message about understanding and acceptance, vividly told by four diverse, uber-realistic characters as they tell their own very different stories in narrative and modern media. Some adults may find this a bit mature - but I agree with Bellevue, middle-schoolers will see themselves in Steinkellner's characters - and for this reason, I will use book this with my students to harness their own humor and creativity to write their own stories - as funny, painful, embarrassing or just plain heartfelt as real life can be!
ReplyDeleteI agree Ms. Yingling, that knowing your student population is key to recommending books. Although I think that this book would be perfect for my students, I recognize that it might not be a good fit for others. Thank you for your comment! :0)
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