The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Chbosky, Stephen
ISBN-13 9780671027346
ISBN-10 0671027344
Publisher: MTV Books, 1999
Genre: LGBTQ Fiction/Social Issues
Reading Level: 720 Lexile
Interest Age: 15-20
Reader's Annotation:
When his best friend dies, Charlie does not know what to do with his life. He has to start all over and begin to figure out who he wants to be.
Plot Summary:
Charlie's best friend commits suicide at the beginning of this book. Charlie is shocks and does not understand. He begins to have panic attacks and becomes depressed so he begins to see a therapist. He also sets out to find new friends. Sam and Patrick are siblings and befriend Charlie. They open his world with drugs, alcohol and alternative lifestyles.
Charlie falls hard for Sam, but she sees him as a little brother and Patrick is gay. There are new things that Charlie discovers about himself at each turn. This book is told from Charlie's perspective as he moves through the world. He is writing letters to someone, but the reader never knows who that is.
Critical Evaluation:
This book brings the reader into Charlies world at an intimate level. The reader has no idea where he lives or exactly who he is talking to, but many of them can relate in some way to Charlie. He makes his way through life trying to find his happiness. Chbosky brings a familiarity to Charlie so each person can connect with him in some way.
The letter format of this book makes it more compelling to read. It is written like someone would write to a diary, divulging each detail with honesty and not worrying about how it sounds. The candid nature of this makes the book readable and entertaining. As the reader moves through the book, it is obvious which people mean something in Charlie's life and which are not by the amount of detail he uses in describing them. This shows the personality of a teenager coming into their own.
About the Author:
Stephen Chbosky is a writer, director, editor and screen writer. He was born in 1970 and is famous for his book The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He has written and directed a few films, but this book took his career to a new level. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Chboksy tries to show a different side of the city in his books.
Chbosky did not intend The Perks of Being a Wallflower to be a book for adolescents, but because the main character is 15, the world saw it this way. He has directed the movie from his book that comes out in 2012. Now, Chbosky lives in Los Angeles, California where he writes films and works as a gay rights activist.
http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Chbosky__Stephen.html
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Charlie's best friend commits suicide at the beginning of this book. Charlie is shocks and does not understand. He begins to have panic attacks and becomes depressed so he begins to see a therapist. He also sets out to find new friends. Sam and Patrick are siblings and befriend Charlie. They open his world with drugs, alcohol and alternative lifestyles.
Charlie falls hard for Sam, but she sees him as a little brother and Patrick is gay. There are new things that Charlie discovers about himself at each turn. This book is told from Charlie's perspective as he moves through the world. He is writing letters to someone, but the reader never knows who that is.
Critical Evaluation:
This book brings the reader into Charlies world at an intimate level. The reader has no idea where he lives or exactly who he is talking to, but many of them can relate in some way to Charlie. He makes his way through life trying to find his happiness. Chbosky brings a familiarity to Charlie so each person can connect with him in some way.
The letter format of this book makes it more compelling to read. It is written like someone would write to a diary, divulging each detail with honesty and not worrying about how it sounds. The candid nature of this makes the book readable and entertaining. As the reader moves through the book, it is obvious which people mean something in Charlie's life and which are not by the amount of detail he uses in describing them. This shows the personality of a teenager coming into their own.
About the Author:
Stephen Chbosky is a writer, director, editor and screen writer. He was born in 1970 and is famous for his book The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He has written and directed a few films, but this book took his career to a new level. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Chboksy tries to show a different side of the city in his books.
Chbosky did not intend The Perks of Being a Wallflower to be a book for adolescents, but because the main character is 15, the world saw it this way. He has directed the movie from his book that comes out in 2012. Now, Chbosky lives in Los Angeles, California where he writes films and works as a gay rights activist.
http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Chbosky__Stephen.html
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Book Talking:
White your own ending to this book.
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is different and yet it is a great coming of age novel. Even though it was written 12 years ago, teens today still know about this book and many still read it. It is part of the world each teen deals with at some level.
White your own ending to this book.
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is different and yet it is a great coming of age novel. Even though it was written 12 years ago, teens today still know about this book and many still read it. It is part of the world each teen deals with at some level.
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