Fienberg, A. (2007). Number 8. New York, NY: Walker Books.
Brief Annotation: Jackson has a touch of OCD. He's obsessed with numbers. After his mother sees some shady dealings at the casino she works at, she moves them to small-town suburbs. Soon, however, strange things start happening to Jackson and his mom. Strange phone calls and mysterious cars follow them at every turn. Jackson stays calm and brushes it all off until one day his girlfriend Esmerelda disappears! Jackson enlists the help of his friend, and Iraqi teenager, to help him solve the mystery of what's happening.
Genre: Mystery
Grade Level: 8-10
Readers who will like this: Students who like math, students who like to solve mysteries and crack codes.
Response/Rating: **. I borrowed this book hoping it would keep my interest, as I am a fan of mystery novels, but I found it to be incredibly predictable and kind of boring. The characters, while funny and engaging, are not developed well enough and too much of the story is convulted, even for a fantasy/mystery novel.
One question you would ask before a read-aloud: Can anyone define OCD?
Brief Annotation: Jackson has a touch of OCD. He's obsessed with numbers. After his mother sees some shady dealings at the casino she works at, she moves them to small-town suburbs. Soon, however, strange things start happening to Jackson and his mom. Strange phone calls and mysterious cars follow them at every turn. Jackson stays calm and brushes it all off until one day his girlfriend Esmerelda disappears! Jackson enlists the help of his friend, and Iraqi teenager, to help him solve the mystery of what's happening.
Genre: Mystery
Grade Level: 8-10
Readers who will like this: Students who like math, students who like to solve mysteries and crack codes.
Response/Rating: **. I borrowed this book hoping it would keep my interest, as I am a fan of mystery novels, but I found it to be incredibly predictable and kind of boring. The characters, while funny and engaging, are not developed well enough and too much of the story is convulted, even for a fantasy/mystery novel.
One question you would ask before a read-aloud: Can anyone define OCD?
Too bad the book was disappointing. Your summary makes it sound like a real thriller and I was ready to add it to my list until I saw your final review.
ReplyDeleteI certainly want you to read widely, up and down the grade levels, but don't do too much young adult reading in this course. You'll have the opportunity to do a lot more at that level next fall.
Just an FYI