Hello Everyone!
I have an amazing book to share with you today – Restart by Gordon Korman.
I was struggling to find a read aloud for my class this year – it is my first time teaching grade 78 and pretty much everything I wanted to read either didn’t feel appropriate for this particular mix of students, or they had already read it before. So I went searching the shelves in our school library for some inspiration!
This one popped out just because of its plain cover and singular word title. My class had really been struggling with social skills and behaviours which was resulting in a lot of mental health episodes and just general friction between classmates. The general vibe I wanted was something that they could relate to but also had a thread of hope and change throughout; and let me tell you – this book delivered!!
This is a story about a bully who in the first chapter wakes up in hospital with no recollection of his past misdeeds. Throughout the first few chapters we discover that he was an athlete and bully, but that he doesn’t seem to have those same inclinations anymore. Instead, he finds solace joining things like the video club – which previously was his favourite target to pick on – and finds himself torn between two worlds.
This would be good as a read aloud, literature circle, or even individual read. There is talk of theft and the boys are pretty rough on each other getting into several fistfights but nothing overly violent is present. There is also a lot of resources available online and other teachers who have pre-made projects and assignments centered around the novel (which definitely made my life easier modifying what’s already there rather than making it from scratch!)
Overall 5/5 stars from me!
Until next time,
Ms Slater – The Musical Librarian