If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that many products are mentioned by name, most of them junk foods (from Snickers to Krispy Kreme to Burger King). Also, part of the plot revolves around a "love child," and some secondary characters are racist.
Families can talk about the issue of fitting in. Kirsten's mother advises her to do what it takes to be popular. Do you agree? How important is it to fit in? How far would you go to fit in? Is it possible to get along and be happy in middle and high school and be yourself at the same time? Do you know anyone who does it? How do they do it?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
This shouldn't work. First of all, the fat-girl-abandoned-by-friend-for-popular-mean-girl plot has been done -- to death. Second, the story hinges on an unlikely melodramatic coincidence that comes out of left field. Add in an awkward structure of alternating chapters about Kirsten and Walk -- the former in first person, the latter in third -- and you should have a mess.
But author Gennifer Choldenko, who won a Newbery Honor two years ago for Al Capone Does My Shirts, knows how to draw readers in and keep them there. Kirsten and Walk are winning protagonists (and Kirsten's voice is snappy-humorous), the short alternating chapters keep readers wanting more, and, just when you think you know where it's all going, the big coincidence adds a fascinating level of complexity. For a book with so little action, it's awfully hard to put down.
From The Book
Besides Rory being gone all summer, my only other friend in the whole world, Nellie, moved away and my mom and dad fought all the time. They stopped seeing my little sister, Kippy, and me, and they definitely stopped hearing what we said. We even tried a little experiment on them. Kippy said there was a colony of worms living in the laundry hamper and my mom said: "Leave your muddy shoes outside." And I said Brad Pitt had invited me to a slumber party and my mom said: "You already had your snack."
It was funny for a while. Then it wasn't.
Plot Summary:
Entering seventh grade at her upscale private school, nothing's going right for Kirsten. Her parents aren't speaking to each other, her best friend, Rory, has abandoned her for the mean social queen bee of their grade, and she's gained 30 pounds in the last few months. But on the first day she meets new kid Walk -- one of the very few African-Americans at her school -- and they soon strike up a friendship.
Kirsten's mother isn't happy about this new friendship and advises her to "be one of the crowd." Perhaps a new pair of boots from Nordstrom's will help. But when a shocking family secret -- the source of the friction between her parents -- is revealed, it's Kirsten's good heart and common sense that will pull them through.
Related Books:
Other Books by Gennifer Choldenko
Notes from a Liar and Her Dog
Al Capone Does My Shirts
More Private School Intrigue
The Winchesters by James Lincoln Collier
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood
London Calling by Edward Bloor
Bullyville by Francine Prose
Related Web Sites
Author's Site
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Sexual ContentMentions of tampons, bras, sperm. A major plot point revolves around an adult who has what is referred to as a "love child." |
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LanguageA few uses of "crap." |
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Social BehaviorSeveral secondary characters, both adults and children, are racist -- they're not likable, and their racism is part of their nastiness. |
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CommercialismMany products and stores are mentioned, including Snickers, Nike, Nordstrom, Nintendo, Amway, Seventeen Magazine, Krispy Kremes, Costco, Fritos, Ruffles, Burger King, and more. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoAn adult smokes. |
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