Then Again, Maybe I Won’t

Summary

                This book is about a boy, Tony, who is in the 8^th grade and his family moves from New Jersey to Rosemont, New York because his father invented electrical cartridges and a company bought his ideas. His father started to work for the company and needed to be closer to work so they moved. Since Tony’s family now has more money, his mother falls into appearances and what their neighborhood thinks about their family. Tony does not like the changes his family is going through and keeps it all bottled up inside, which makes him have great pains inside his stomach. It doesn’t help that his only friend likes to shoplift, which he knows is wrong. He doesn’t know whether to turn him in or leave it alone. His friend ends up getting caught but blames Tony! He is just a boy who is interested in girls and wants to live a normal childhood.

Evaluation

                I thought this book is a good realistic fiction book for boys to read while they are growing up. Every young man thinks about sex and wonders when they are going to grow into a man. This book has a contemporary setting and the characters are believable because they all go through situations that young adults might go through. Some students have had to go through the process of moving to a new town and making new friends.

Theme

The theme of this book is growing into a young man while trying to settle into a new town.

Use in the classroom

                I would have the children write a letter to Tony to tell him how they would stand up to his friend. They can also give suggestions on how to handle his situations he is facing. This can also teach the students how to conduct a letter and the proper way to address it.