Post by Mari on Dec 27, 2007 13:43:22 GMT -5
Freak is the story of Miriam, a middle school girl who is in an awkward stage during which her physical and emotional development are lagging behind her intellect. She is bullied at school by the popular girls. Making matters worse, Miriam's older sister Deborah has started high school and is ignoring Miriam in order to pursue status with the popular high school kids, including Artie, a senior boy (and family friend) that Miriam has a crush on.
I think this is a good fictional book on the topic of bullying, with a fearless, almost raw realism--such as in the scene where Miriam chops off her hair--but the writing is maybe not as strong as that of some other books on the list. For example, I didn't think the narrative was well-paced. For a short book, it takes quite awhile to get going. Also, in my opinion the ending was too tidy and not very believable.
I think this is a good fictional book on the topic of bullying, with a fearless, almost raw realism--such as in the scene where Miriam chops off her hair--but the writing is maybe not as strong as that of some other books on the list. For example, I didn't think the narrative was well-paced. For a short book, it takes quite awhile to get going. Also, in my opinion the ending was too tidy and not very believable.