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Summary: Bradley Chalkers=Me
Review: I read this book, Sunday (Feb. 17, 2002) while I was going through a sad time. I love this book, and when I first read it when I was in middle school, I knew it was a special book. "There's a Boy in the Girl's bathroom" is funny, heartwarming, genuine, sincere, and powerful. Bradley Chalkers---he is considered the "monster" in the book because he misbehaves, and he thinks he is a "monster" on the inside and the outside. His counselor, Carol, sees Bradley as the sweetest little boy deep inside himself. At first, Bradley doesn't want to listen to her, but then he does, and his life makes a beautiful transition. He is the person that he always was supposed to be. The likeable boy that everyone comes to adore. "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" is a story about a little boy that changes. It touches me so much because in that 195 page you see Bradley change into the person that he was meant to be. I was feeling bad yesterday, but when I read that it makes me realize that if Bradley Chalkers, a fifth grader, can change his life so young, we all can too. It feels good to know that we can all grow and mature with a little help for people who care about us.
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Summary: My Favorite Novel of ALL Time
Review: I think i've read this book at least once a year since I was in the fourth grade, and I'm 19 now, so that would mean I've read it a little over 10 times. It's absolutely incredible. People do always give me funny looks when I say it's my favorite book, but I'm not going to lie to them. Sadly, my 10 year old copy is quite a bit dog eared now, so it's great to see they're still printing new editions. There's A Boy is unlike a lot of other children's novels out there, even unlike a lot of other Sachar books. Where most kid's books offer simple, crazy set ups, a bit of conflict and an ultimately happy ending, There's A Boy doesn't do that. Instead, the setup is a little more sad than comical, the wacky events are all very true to life and the ending is quite a bit more bittersweet than would be expected. But that's exactly what this book needed, if everything ended perfectly the point would be lost. There is also so much to like about this book, in that sense. Bradley and Jeff are amazingly complex characters, and so are the minor ones, too, (Notice how Mrs. Ebbel wants Bradley to succeed but still blatantly ridicule him in front of the class "Of course, there was one F"). Carla might seem like she's on the edge of perfection, especially in the eyes of the children, but her SPOILER final letter to Bradley indicates a bit of empitness and sorrow in her life. If there's any criticism of the book, and, yes, I do have some, it's how it treats the relationship between the younger male and female characters. I'm not against it, but the roles seem oddly stereotyped for a book that defies most cut-outs. The fight in the rain is a perfect example, and kid who's read half a dozen books knows how this one is going to turn out. And Colleen's affection for Jeff is another bothersome plot point. No fifth graders act like that, really. It's too bad Sachar felt like he needed to place these plots in there when the resolve at the birthday party seems forced and un real (we all know Bradley is crazy, but this crazy? I don't buy it). My sort of dream for these past ten years has been to turn There's A Boy into a feature length film, possibly with the changes listed above. Not a kid's film, though, one aimed at adults that emphasizes the sadness and pain in the novel. It'll never happen, but it's fun to take a scene from the book and imagine it as a scene in a real drama movie. It could happen. I hope. So buy the book! You won't be dissapointed but maybe a little teary-eyed by the end. I'll probably order this edition to keep up with the times. At least the cover design on this one is a little more colorful.
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Summary: An interest-keeper in the classroom!
Review: Mr. Sachar has used his ability to relate and empathize with the plight of the typical elementary school child brilliantly in this selection, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. The main character in the book, Bradley Chalkers, is an unmotivated, lying, trouble-making fifth grade bully whose life is miserable and wants all those around him to be miserable in return. However, we are invited to witness a bit of human compassion in Bradley. Mr. Sachar has included scenes of Bradley in his bedroom, acting out life's plagues with his chipped, ceramic animals. Through these off-road glances periodically into Bradley's private life, Mr. Sachar is planting the seeds in our mind that all is not lost with Bradley.
We can all recall a child like Bradley. Mr. Sachar is gifted with the talent to describe Bradley with ideas that evoke familiarity in all of us: Bradley sits in the last seat, last row; there are no gold stars on the chart for Bradley; he never completes his homework and all the other students think of him as a monster. As Bradley becomes more willing to trust others, and, as others begin to see the good in him, the transformation to a decent person takes place.
I have used this piece as a chapter book I read aloud to my fourth grade students at the beginning of the school year. They could not wait until I turned the next page! It is a wonderful tool to discuss social problems that children face everyday. It is a story about self-acceptance and developing one's ability to display appropriate behaviors, even in the most of difficult situations. Mr. Sachar incorporates his effective writing methods to reach students at a simple level in which they can understand and contribute meaningfully in a discussion.
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Summary: Louis Sachars Greatest Work
Review: This book is hilarious, because Bradley talks to his glass friends and Bradley and Jeff run into the Girl's bathroom and they both get caught. Second, it made me cry at the end because he sent Ronnie away and Carla and Bradley's letters to each other had that effect on me. Also, when Bradley went to a birthday party he didn't know what to do unitil Jeff told him not to tell Colleen what he got for her. Outside Bradley sat at the table before he was supposed to and everyone laughed. My big sister read this to me a year ago. I got a hundred on my advanced reading test from liking this book so much.
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Summary: I recommend that you buy this book
Review: This is a story about Bradley Chalkers. He is the oldest kid in fifth grade. No one likes him. That is, until he meets Jeff Fishkin. This is a great book about friendship. It taught me to be kind to everyone, even to a bully like Bradley. This is a very comical book. It is a funny way of telling the story of a boy and how he overcomes his problems with friends and school. Ten-year old Bradley Chalkers is one tough bully. He doesn't do his homework, he scribbles in school, and he doesn't have any friends; at least for a while. There were exciting and emotional parts of the book, especially when Carla, the 4th grader's counselor and friend, had to leave the school because the parents didn't like her. I recommend that you buy this book! I also recommend THE PRICE OF IMMORTALITY by C.M. Whitlock. It is a GREAT BOOK!
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