Book Uncle and Me
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
Winner of the International Literacy Association Social Justice Literature Award An award-winning middle-grade novel about the power of grassroots activism and how kids can make a difference. Every day, nine-year-old Yasmin borrows a book from Book Uncle, a retired teacher who has set up a free lending library on the street corner. But when the mayor tries to shut down the rickety bookstand, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. What can she do? The local elections are coming up, but she’s just a kid. She can’t even vote! Still, Yasmin has friends — her best friend, Reeni, and Anil, who even has a blue belt in karate. And she has family and neighbors. What’s more, she has an idea that came right out of the last book she borrowed from Book Uncle. So Yasmin and her friends get to work. Ideas grow like cracks in the sidewalk, and soon the whole effort is breezing along nicely... Or is it spinning right out of control? An energetic, funny and quirky story about community activism, friendship, and the love of books. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is a super charming story about a little girl who visits a street corner loaning library everyday to borrow a new book until the government decides to shut the “illegal” library down. It's also the story of what one person, even a non-voting person, can do in an election to bring about real change. It's all handled so very simply that I felt an emotional disconnect- I think I was convinced early on that there was no way this could ever have an unhappy ending and all conflict was removed for me. A young middle grade reader could fall under it's charms. Recommended for the 3rd to 5th grader reader who enjoys realistic fiction and who maybe has a budding interest in politics. It also takes place in a city in India, but it is never described beyond the block (which makes sense as it's a child's POV), so there isn't much to learn there, with the exception of some Indian dishes being described and Hindi lessons in school being mentioned. The story, otherwise is pretty universal for any democratic location.
