Well this one is on my "To Teach" list forever. Everything about it is ideal for teaching: the characterization, plot, thematic elements are exactly at the sweet spot where a student could see them with the right amount of work. The form too is perfect for teaching, almost as though it were written by a curriculum committee.
But the real triumph of this book is the believability. Somehow a grown man perfectly captured the minds of my young students on paper. This doesn't sound like an adult trying to write in the voice of a teenager. Every page could easily have been written by one of my students, and not one of the advanced ones. The mistakes, the cliches, the immaturity, all perfectly captured and relatable in a way that borders on miraculous.
Of course it's no miracle. It's skill. Nonetheless, it's perfect and I can't wait to see what comes out of young minds when they read it.
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