Title: Better Nate Than Ever
Author: Tim Federle
Pages: 275
Finished: March 5, 2018
First Sentence: I'd rather not start with any backstory
Summary: Nate prefers Broadway musicals to sports, a fact that really sets him apart from his classmates and turns him into a target for bullies. So when an opportunity to audition for the roll of Elliot in E.T. pops up, he takes it. Of course, to do so, he has to run away to New York and attempt to get back before his parents find out.
Thoughts: Things I liked about this book:
- Nate has clearly been bullied, but that wasn't the focus of this book.
- In fact, there's clearly plenty of awful things from his homelife, but Federle doesn't beat the reader over the head with them.
- Nate is in middle school and starting to discover his sexuality, but in a way that again isn't really beating the reader over the head with it.
- His way of relating to Broadway shows was very similar to how I related to some super nerdy things. The result in how other people related to him was about the same.
- In order to get the parents out of the way, Nate runs away. No one dies!
Solid addition to the Caudill list this year best for 5th grade and up, though I imagine some precocious 4th graders would be able to read this as well.
- Nate has clearly been bullied, but that wasn't the focus of this book.
- In fact, there's clearly plenty of awful things from his homelife, but Federle doesn't beat the reader over the head with them.
- Nate is in middle school and starting to discover his sexuality, but in a way that again isn't really beating the reader over the head with it.
- His way of relating to Broadway shows was very similar to how I related to some super nerdy things. The result in how other people related to him was about the same.
- In order to get the parents out of the way, Nate runs away. No one dies!
Solid addition to the Caudill list this year best for 5th grade and up, though I imagine some precocious 4th graders would be able to read this as well.
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