GENRE: Graphic Novel / Realistic Fiction
HONORS: None
REVIEW: Nikki has a scholarship to a private school because her father is the bug exterminator for the school. Unfortunately, Nikki is worried that she will not fit in with the CCP (cute, cool, and popular) girls. Her first plan for fitting in is to get a cell phone but that does not work. Throughout the book, she deals with bullying, making friends, a crush, a career as a tattoo artist, and a disastrous art show. One of the funniest scenes is when she and her younger sister find themselves in Mackenzie's room and have to hide and then escape without being seen.
OPINION: This book was a lot of fun. The illustrations were cute and the content was realistic for middle school girls. Some have complained that the main character is mean and that the content has too much bullying. I feel that the content is realistic and shows how a girl dealt with the issues and discovered who her real friends are. I do not believe in sheltering my child from a realistic story. My suggestion is to use the book as a springboard for discussions about bullying and choices. While similar to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid there is enough of a difference to make it worth your while. I would definitely recommend it to reluctant girl readers who do not like the Wimpy Kid books because the main character is a boy.
IDEAS: It would be fun to compare this book and its sequels with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. How are they the same, different, compare popularity, and so on. As a diary, one could use this book to model that form of writing and even compare it to a "real" diary such as Antarctic Journal.
No comments:
Post a Comment