Blog #8: Junior is a Brave little dude

Junior has such overwhelming optimism that it is infectious. I cannot comprehend where he gets it from! He is ailed by physical problems, held back by a society with no goals or dreams and has friends who are poorly equipped to deal with any of the challenges that lie outside the reservation. His parents are, perhaps I am being pessimistic, failures. How did he turn out so strong and brave? I guess it is the old adage that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but his is a truly exceptional case.
I’m also absolutely enamored by the accessibility of this book. It tells a heart-wrenching AND heart-warming story with a fabulous moral all at a level that adolescents could read and enjoy (especially with the cartoons) and yet it is fascinating and riveting for adults as well. I love when authors are able to do this. I feel it gives adolescents an opportunity to bond with parents or teachers discussing something that they all find enjoyable. The illustrations absolutely make this book for me. They are funny and one-hundred percent honest, sincerely enriching the story and the depth of Junior’s character.
This is a novel I will definitely consider involving in my classroom when I am a teacher. It has so many learning points: peer pressure, eating disorders, overcoming fears, disagreements amongst friends, death, alcoholism, physical disabilities, bullying, the list goes on and on. Alexie genuinely captures the inner dialogue of Junior in such a way that youth cannot help to identify with him (as can all the rest of us)!
Becca