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Leah Kessler
Absolutely! As I read it I was wishing I was still teaching so I could read it to my class. It's totally friendly and at a good comprehension level, and it also leaves room for some discussion of bullying and understanding people who are different from you. There is nothing that would be inappropriate for a third grader and it very much reminded me of some of the books I loved when I was that age, in that as an adult reader it feels pretty obvious that nothing too dramatic is going to happen and that everything's going to turn out fine in the end, but as an 8 or 9 year old I would have felt that some of the events are quite dramatic and I would have been on pins and needles hoping everything came out ok in the end.
Marianne
The inappropriate words reveal the character of the bully and his father. I think I could read them aloud if accompanied by discussion of their despicable character traits.
Robin Wilkerson
I think a few of the words used were tough to swallow and would need to be accompanied by a discussion of the inappropriateness--words like deafo and retardo...I'm not even sure I could say them out loud.
Nika Maria D
Well, it would probably be best for you to let them do 1-2 chapters a day for there are 320 pages in the book and 46000 new and old words. I think that the friendship that Gulliver and Virgil. After they read this book, you should probably let them read "Gulliver's Travels" because it is mentioned in the book a few times. Though retardo and deafo are some words you may want to avoid. Otherwise, great idea!
Brian Hutzell
Yes! Students are going to meet all kinds of people at school and elsewhere, and this book introduces us to a few of them: a bully, a deaf person, a student with difficulty learning math, two girls of Japanese descent, and a guinea pig (actual, not figurative) to boot! This is a book that does not write down to its readers, but should present no challenges which can’t be overcome.
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