It’s time again for another Book Fair and this a great time to add to your collection of books from the new releases that were published this year!
Roosevelt Elementary School will host its Book Fair on Friday, September 30th through Wednesday, October 5th. Of course, all are invited to participate. Last semester at the book fair, I found a great treasure, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, and it was an excellent read. Recently, another book by Kathryn Erskine was released - The Absolute Value of Mike.
The Absolute Value of Mike is a book of hope with a generous sprinkling of hilarity and fun. Thirteen year old Mike is sent to live with his Aunt Moo and Uncle Poppy for the summer while his Dad (a math genius and professor) lectures in Romania. In the odd town of Donover, Mike meets a homeless man (who particularly likes gourmet food), a reverend/school teacher who is adopting an orphan boy from Romania, and the girl of his dreams ‘super gorgeous punk rocker’ Gladys. What’s beautiful about the storyline is the involvement of the entire town adopting Misha and their tireless efforts to raise $40,000.00 in three weeks to make it all possible. What’s even more amazing is Mike’s willingness to help in the fundraising effort. His involvement brought creativity, ingenuity, and success to the effort. He encouraged the town’s people to participate in their own way, some making and selling items - therefore creating jobs and opportunities.
The Absolute Value of Mike highlights that there’s value in everything, even things you might have considered to be worthless. Mike’s Dad sees things of value as they pertain to mathematics. He couldn’t see Mike as valuable because of his lack of interest in mathematics. His value counter for Mike is based on Mike attending the math magnet school. However, Erskine brilliantly interweaves the math formula of the Absolute Value (a negative becoming a positive), and brings it to life in a story of hope - the town sees value in Mike; Mike sees value in family and friends; and Mike’s Dad finally sees the value of his son.
Absolutely a great read!
Look out for The Absolute Value of Mike at Roosevelt’s Book Fair, or visit Broome County Public Library to get your copy.
Happy Reading!
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