 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Zen and the Art of Faking It
- By Jordan Sonnenblick
- Genre: Coming of Age
Common Sense Media says
Great wisdom and humor for teens to meditate on.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book is a sure hit with both male and female middle school readers. The dialogue keeps the tone light while the book touches on heavy themes, including lying by the main character (for starters, he's adopted from China and tells peers his whole family is Chinese), a con-artist abusive father in jail, a mother and son struggling financially, another mother deserting her daughter and husband, and a bully punching the main character. There's some mild wishful romance, and at the end there is a lesson about facing the truth.
What's the story?
Eighth grader San Lee moves to Pennsylvania with his mother and starts yet another new school. His father is serving time for some cons performed across the country, dragging the family along each time. Being the new kid, San is trying to figure out who to pretend to be to fit in with his peers. He impresses his teacher and classmates with his answers on Zen so he becomes San, the Zen kid at school. He sits on a rock meditating before school, wears socks with sandals in winter, and professes not to need any "earthly attachments."
Except he has a big crush on a female classmate. They work on a project together, share details about their lives (his are all lies), but he thinks the attraction is largely based on him being an expert on Zen. They volunteer together at a soup kitchen and teach the B level school basketball team how to use Zen in the game. San's new life is going well, but of course eventually his lies will have to catch up with him.
Is it any good?
Who wants to stand out in the middle school years? Certainly not San Lee, the main character in ZEN AND THE ART OF FAKING IT. There's so much going on in San's head that his insight into his world -- though it seems unrealistically developed for his age -- is a real treat for the reader. His crush on a female classmate is full of authentic details, he relates his anger toward his father to his constant lying to classmates, and his self-deprecating humor and sarcasm are spot-on funny.
Teen readers will relate to San's attitudes toward his classmates -- bullies, girls, jocks -- and his awkwardness around other kids. But the author missed an opportunity to talk more about racial attitudes and stereotypes; it's all handled too subtly. Ultimately San teaches readers what happens when lies are revealed, that is, about the importance of character and humility.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about where San went wrong. He lies to everyone, yet why do readers feel empathy for him? Do you think his actions are forgivable? Are the challenges of San and his peers realistic? In the end did Buddhism actually give San the strength to face those he hurt?
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AGE
A great book for a kid starting middle school
The lead character makes a big mistake by creating a false persona, he's found out and faces the inevitable peer scorn. He acknowledges his failure, becomes his authentic self and achieves redemption. He is supported in this transformation by caring adults.
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AGE
HAHA!!! funny book!!!
It was a good book and i enjoyed it. It was really funny and found myself laughing as i read it. This is a good book that i soo sugest to anyone who wants to read it!!!
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AGE
This book is Great! i just finished it the other day and i don't think it's appropriate for 8 or 9 year olds, because it has a few cure words, and romance, and some kids find that gross :3
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AGE
there is only one word they use and they don 't just come out and say they say bs just like that not spelling it out so read it with your child if there in a lower grade than middle school but very apropet and he is and awsome writer he also has a really good book called drums girls dangrous pie appropite for elementry school
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| Author: | Jordan Sonnenblick |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Coming of Age |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Press |
| Publication date: | October 1, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 272 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 18 |
| Read aloud: | 12 |
| Read alone: | 12 |
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