Rick by Alex Gino is a chapter book for students grades 4-6. In it, Rick is a brand-new middle schooler, and is trying to come to terms with his identity. Rick decides to join the Rainbow Spectrum club, despite knowing his best friend will make fun of him. In joining the club, Rick learns a lot not only about himself, but the others in his life. This has not been my personal favourite that I have read for this course, but I think this is a good book for students who are curious about various identities and experiences. As it is a chapter book, there are no pictures. The text is fairly large, making the book easy to read. Most of the language included is easy to understand for students at the appropriate age range. There is no overtly homophobic language, and many of the “complicated” terms are defined immediately following the word’s introduction. There may be a need for a trigger warning- one character attempts to light some things on fire and discusses vomit. This could be hard for some students to read. Rick was a great character to follow, as he is open to new information and ideas. Many of the other characters are already set in their identity, and do an excellent job of explaining anything that Rick wants to know. The bully in the story is well-written. It is clear he is a bully from the beginning, and the characters discuss this frankly. This is the first book I have ever read that has contained in-depth, clear information about asexual, aromantic and nonbinary identities. That was part of the reason I picked this book to read. The book does an excellent job identifying and discussing different identities. I believe this would make it a great addition to any library. It is a wonderful mirror for those students who are beginning to question their own identity, and is a fantastic window for other students. As it is so clear and straightforward in answering these questions, anyone could gain an understanding of the identities discussed. Rick is also friends with the bully at the beginning of the story, and this relationship could help students either identify that they may be friends with a bully, or that friends of bullies don’t always know about the bully. Although there is no clear link to music in the book, I still believe this is a valuable resource for the classroom. Reading this book with the older students would create the opportunity to discuss the identities found in this book. A round-table discussion could be facilitated, with the understanding that students need to be respectful to each other, even if they disagree. Throughout the book, Rick begins to make new connections with the people in his life through shared experiences. After reading a few chapters, the students could discuss their shared experiences with Rick, and with each other. It can also create the opportunity to discuss what bullying looks like and what students can do to prevent it.
References: Gino, A. (2020). Rick. Scholastic Press.
This has not been my personal favourite that I have read for this course, but I think this is a good book for students who are curious about various identities and experiences. As it is a chapter book, there are no pictures. The text is fairly large, making the book easy to read. Most of the language included is easy to understand for students at the appropriate age range. There is no overtly homophobic language, and many of the “complicated” terms are defined immediately following the word’s introduction. There may be a need for a trigger warning- one character attempts to light some things on fire and discusses vomit. This could be hard for some students to read. Rick was a great character to follow, as he is open to new information and ideas. Many of the other characters are already set in their identity, and do an excellent job of explaining anything that Rick wants to know. The bully in the story is well-written. It is clear he is a bully from the beginning, and the characters discuss this frankly.
This is the first book I have ever read that has contained in-depth, clear information about asexual, aromantic and nonbinary identities. That was part of the reason I picked this book to read. The book does an excellent job identifying and discussing different identities. I believe this would make it a great addition to any library. It is a wonderful mirror for those students who are beginning to question their own identity, and is a fantastic window for other students. As it is so clear and straightforward in answering these questions, anyone could gain an understanding of the identities discussed. Rick is also friends with the bully at the beginning of the story, and this relationship could help students either identify that they may be friends with a bully, or that friends of bullies don’t always know about the bully.
Although there is no clear link to music in the book, I still believe this is a valuable resource for the classroom. Reading this book with the older students would create the opportunity to discuss the identities found in this book. A round-table discussion could be facilitated, with the understanding that students need to be respectful to each other, even if they disagree. Throughout the book, Rick begins to make new connections with the people in his life through shared experiences. After reading a few chapters, the students could discuss their shared experiences with Rick, and with each other. It can also create the opportunity to discuss what bullying looks like and what students can do to prevent it.
References: Gino, A. (2020). Rick. Scholastic Press.