by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Let me start out by saying that Dexter the Tough is nothing like the other book I've read by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Among the Hidden. While Among the Hidden is set in a dystopian future, Dexter the Tough could happen in any of our classrooms tomorrow. Dexter is a new kid at school. He's been forced to move in with his grandmother. His father is seriously ill and seeking medical treatment halfway across the country. He's even gotten laughed at and beaten someone up before he's made it to class for the first time.
The writing process is an important aspect of this book. We find out that Dexter beat a kid up when he writes a story for class. His original idea score would probably be a 2. As his teacher asks him to add more details, we find out more about what really happened.
Dexter's writing leaves out details but Dexter also fails to take in details about what is going on around him. He only notices half of the stuff that is going on. If he noticed more, things would have gone a lot better for him. Dexter's life and his in-class story show how important details are.
Dexter beat up Robin Bryce. Robin is a former home school student who is in his first year of attending public school. Dexter isn't the first student to bully Robin. He's been getting bullied all year even though we discover that he is an all around great kid.
Dexter feels guilty for beating up Robin Bryce. This book is about how Dexter deals with his guilt and what he does to make things better. He's not real confident about being forgiven and his doubts makes things a lot harder for him than they had to be.
This book was a lot of fun to read because you're never given all of the information. In order to figure out what really happens you have to keep reading. For example, you're told Dexter's been sent to live with his grandmother but you're not told why. I predicted his parents had died; I was wrong. You also find out that he beat someone up but you're not told who it was or why he did it. You have to keep reading to find out.
First Published: 2007
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 5th Grade
Locations: Class library, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
No comments:
Post a Comment