Thursday, April 1, 2010

8th Grade Superzero - Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich



Publisher:  Arthur A. Levine, 2010Pages:  272
Source:  Won in a contest

As a middle school teacher I believe "8th Grade Superzero" is a book all middle school students should read.  It really fits in with our population.  We are an IB school and we have social service days every year as a requirement of our curriculum.  Many of our students don't see how they fit in with this or why it is necessary.  I think this book is a good demonstration of the whys and hows.

Reggie McKnight's claim to fame came the day he puked all over the principal's shoes while on stage.  He tries to stay low key but that doesn't really help.  Two things essentially change his life and the way he sees himself.  First he becomes a "Big Buddy" to a little first grader.  The second is when he gets involved with a homeless shelter.  This experience causes him to take his eyes off of himself and all of his own problems. When he does this he can see the needs of others.  He decides to make it his mission to try to lift others out of their problems.  This inspires his classmates to also begin making changes.  They no longer see him as the kid who puked on the principal's shoes but as someone who inspired them.  I plan on reading this to my students when I return this next week.  I also plan on passing a copy on to the principal as an example of how we can get our students motivated for our service days.
Great book.  

No comments:

Post a Comment