Numbers

October 8, 2012
This snappy, affecting YA-centered novel by Canadian teacher and author Poulsen (Numbers) is a skillful rendering of an estranged father who feels compelled to reconnect with his son. Sixteen-year-old Nate Huffman is firming up his summer vacation plans when his dad, Larry, 62, phones to say he wants “to spend some time together.” Nate feels angry and resentful since Larry ran off 11 years earlier with a much younger woman, leaving Nate and his mother behind in Alberta. Larry divulges that they’re heading to Saigon, characterizing their junket as a “buddy movie” where Nate “might learn something.” En route, Larry reveals elements of his colorful past to Nate and the pair stop over to visit Larry’s “strange” Vietnam War buddy, Tal Ledbetter. Once in Vietnam, Nate is awed as Larry takes him on a tour of wartime Vietnam that climaxes in a harrowing side trip into the jungle. Father and son bond as Larry explains to Nate what being a soldier taught him about manhood and life. Nate also has his first date with a girl, Jen Dodsworth, an Australian tourist visiting Vietnam with her parents. Poulson handles heavy material with sophistication and as the excursion winds down, his young protagonist learns the hardest truths about love and death. Agent: Arnold Gosewich (Canada).

January 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Andy Crockett, otherwise known as Alamo, really likes his social studies teacher. Mr. Retzlaff is charismatic and funny, he remembers his students' names, and he makes 20th-century history engaging. At an otherwise uninteresting school dance, Mr. R even sits with Alamo and his six friends, "the seven people in the school who were least likely to win awards for brains or personality," and, in Alamo's words, "pretty much told us we were cool." But Alamo's parents and uncle and his new crush, Patti Bailer, don't seem to like Mr. R, and the protagonist isn't sure why-but it has something to do with the Holocaust. The story of Alamo's 10th-grade year includes time with friends, girl troubles, and the death of an uncle, but the underlying theme of the book is Alamo's gradual realization that his favorite teacher is an anti-Semitic Holocaust denier. When a couple of Alamo's friends ask him to come with them to burn down the house of an unpopular Jewish woman nicknamed Numbers, Alamo agrees, spurred on by the promise of greater social acceptance and the assumption that Mr. R would approve. But when they arrive at the house, Patti is there, and she shames Alamo into changing his mind. Although many of the characters lack depth and some plot points feel very contrived, this book will win some fans with its casual, conversational tone and its messages about peer pressure and prejudice. VERDICT A worthwhile purchase for libraries looking to fill a niche.-Magdalena Teske, Naperville Public Library, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Andy is just an average student who doesn't have many close friends, and on top of that, his girlfriend just broke up with him. But he's pleased to have popular Mr. R for social studies. Mr. R has a reputation for being the best teacher everhe's engaging, respectful of students, actually interesting in class, and unorthodox in his language. But when Mr. R starts teaching the Holocaust, using it as a model for questioning the truth, it becomes increasingly clear that he's a virulent Holocaust denier. At first, Andy is so ignorant of history that he's persuaded by Mr. R's lesson, but he gradually comes to learn to think for himself. In Andy's accessible, matter-of-fact first-person narrative, Poulsen explores a topic not often covered in teen fiction, and although there are stumbles, such as chaotic pacing and flat characters, the foray into key tenets of critical thinking is important. Reluctant readers will likely be drawn in by Andy's struggle to fit in, and they'll get a thought-provoking story at the same time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)