Gordan Korman is one of my favorite writers for young adults. He has a sense of humor that resonates with my own. And, the one time I met him (years ago), was a heck of a nice guy. In this book he takes on one of the most common tropes of young adult fiction: whenever there’s a story which stars a dog the dog dies at the end.
The star of this story is, luckily, not a dog. It is Wallace Wallace, an eighth grade football player with an absolute refusal to ever be anything but 100% honest--coupled with a complete and total lack of tact. As might be expected, the two do not make him a lot of friends. This is especially true when he writes a book report on his English teacher’s favorite book. Wallace doesn’t like it and he is not gentle in his criticism. This prompts his English teacher to give him detention--and keeps him on detention until he changes his report to reflect the teacher’s views of the book.
This knocks him off the football team where, through a fluke play the season before, he is considered a hero by everyone except himself and his ex-best friend. Instead of football, he is forced to sit and watch as the English teacher directs the school play. Which, of course, is based on the book he and the teacher disagree over. And Wallace Wallace has some ideas he just can’t help sharing…
Although I personally find it personally and professionally galling to see an English teacher portrayed this way, I have to admit it makes for a good story. As Wallace and his teacher try hard to out-stubborn each other, things get stranger and stranger. It was difficult to see how either one could back down without looking silly. The tensions between Wallace, his friends, the football team, and the drama club are realistic for a middle school. I could see much of what went on as true-to-life. The parts Korman exaggerates are done for comic effect and to heighten the dramatic tension.
This is a book I am already processing to put into the classroom library. It’s worth a quick read.
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