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A review by falconerreader
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald, J.P. Coovert
3.0
I won this is a Goodreads First Read. Yay!
As a middle school teacher, I found this book funny and appealing. There are times when Charlie's comments sound a bit too much like the comments of an adult who is a good kid-watcher, but overall his voice is well done. I gave it three stars instead of four for a reason that won't apply to most people. Over 50% of my kids are Latino, and like the excellent "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" this book is so entrenched in white, middle class culture that much of its appeal will be lost on them. Sure, many kids can relate to hating reading, liking a girl who isn't interested, and, yes, the humor of throwing basketballs at your friends' "groinal region," but overall the world Charlie lives in is the world of my nephews, not the world of my students. But the book itself is well written, engaging, and I look forward to seeing the published version with illustrations.
As a middle school teacher, I found this book funny and appealing. There are times when Charlie's comments sound a bit too much like the comments of an adult who is a good kid-watcher, but overall his voice is well done. I gave it three stars instead of four for a reason that won't apply to most people. Over 50% of my kids are Latino, and like the excellent "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" this book is so entrenched in white, middle class culture that much of its appeal will be lost on them. Sure, many kids can relate to hating reading, liking a girl who isn't interested, and, yes, the humor of throwing basketballs at your friends' "groinal region," but overall the world Charlie lives in is the world of my nephews, not the world of my students. But the book itself is well written, engaging, and I look forward to seeing the published version with illustrations.