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| Book #109 of 2010 |
| Title: Nothing |
| Author Janne Teller |
| Publisher: Atheneum |
| Pub Date: February 9, 2010 |
| Grade: A- |
| Comments: When Pierre Anthon climbs up a tree and declares that nothing matters, his classmates are not amused. They try to convince him to get out of the tree by taunting him and throwing rocks at him. Finally, they come up with a scheme to make him see that things do have meaning, and they start a collection of items that have meaning to them. Each student is asked to give up something of value. Although the first items collected are relatively benign (the narrator Agnes must donate a pair of green sandals she had saved up for and desperately wanted all summer), with each item comes a higher and higher sacrifice. The classmates are convinced their mountain is full of meaning, but will Pierre agree?
Reviews have compared this to Lord of the Flies and it’s an apt comparison. What seems like an odd and maudlin books quickly turns into a book filled with horror as the students turn on each other and demand contributions that are unthinkable. When I was reading this book out loud, I kept gasping out loud when I discovered what was to be added next. I’m not sure if I liked the book, but I am sure I won’t soon forget it. |
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