Hi y’all!

I hope you are enjoying these first days of October. We are loving the cooler weather and fall traditions.

I am excited to share my review of Restart by Gordon Korman. I really enjoyed this story and it’s important message about starting over and overcoming bullying.

Book Summary: “Chase’s memory just went out the window. Chase doesn’t remember falling off the roof. He doesn’t remember hitting his head. He doesn’t, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name.

He knows he’s Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.

Pretty soon, it’s not only a question of who Chase is–it’s a question of who he was . . . and who he’s going to be.

From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.”

The premise of this story is so intriguing. Chase falls off his roof and has severe amnesia. He doesn’t remember his life and the journey he goes on to discover himself is so intriguing. He was a serious bully in his other life and as he discovers more about himself, he wants to change all the more. I loved his journey of self discovery. I enjoyed the complexities of trying to figure out what happened in the past and who to believe about different events. I apreciated that Chase felt real and had to work through a lot of different emotions to discover who he wanted to be in the future.

I loved the relationships in the book. We have Chase with his old, football friends who we learn more about as the story continues. We have Chase’s relationships with his family especially with his half sister Helene who he bonds with after his accident. And his father who has high expectations but is more complex than I thought at first. And we have Chase with new friends like the video club and the different kids at school. My favorite is his relationship with Mr Solway at the Assisted Living home and how that relationship comes to define his life.

The chapters are cleverly told from various points of view which I love. Getting inside the heads of not just Chase but also many of his classmates was really fun. We see him from different perspectives based on both his past actions and present actions. There are his former friends and his new friends all giving us a side of Chase. I think that gave readers an intriguing look at who Chase is and how complex a person’s personality is. Also I loved that he shows that people can change. You can become a better person.

I loved the messages of hope and healing in this story. There are some intense bullying sequences (mostly referred to in the past). And sadly, there are lots of people who are hurt by Chase. At times, things seem rather bleak for everyone. But I love how both Chase and others (especially Joel) are able to move forward and be better people. I love when Joel comes back to confront his problems instead of running away. And I love that Chase truly changes and wants to be a kind person not just a popular one.

An important book! I loved the characters, storytelling and beautiful message in this story. This is a story for everyone and celebrates the power we have to heal, change, and do better

What are some of your favorite books about change?
Any favorite middle grade novels about overcoming bullying or being a better person?