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I would like to share a new Fiction book for Middle Schoolers which Charlie will be using in Homeschool this year. As well as sharing with my nephew Jason. BenBee and the Teacher Grieder: Kids Under the Stairs by K.A. Holt that I received a copy of in exchange for this review.
BenBee and the Teacher Griefer: The Kids Under the Stairs you will find is for middle schoolers and this is a fiction book we used in Homeschool Reading Class. Before you ask yes, Charlie is in high school. Through the things the kids face in the story Charlie was able to relate to the story and even enjoyed reading the book and sharing it with his friends as he saw others struggling with reading like he does.
BenBee and the Teacher Griefer: The Kids Under the Stairs 4 students are stuck in summer school because they need another chance to pass the Florida State Test (nicknamed the FART), which Charlie thought was hilarious. The students class becomes its own community. One of the students Ben Y has decided to go by Ben Y instead of her formal name Benita, because she needs to separate herself from something tragic in her past.
Then there iis Ben B who just wants to play Sandbox. hHich Charlie was surprised to find was Minecraft-inspired game which Charlie plays all the time. Ben B doesn’t want to write anything by hand. Which is something else Charlie and Ben B as well as Charlie’s dad David have in common. Are you like Ben B. because I prefer to write things in a notebook instead of using a computer.
Jordan J. is worried about his dog, just like Charlie who thinks his dog Bear comes before anything. Jordan J loves to dance which Charlie and I do in PE although neither of us knows what we’re doing when it comes to dancing. How about you? Jordan J.has trouble focusing on anything for an extended period of time. Just like Charlie.
Javier doesn’t want to read aloud, prefers drawing to writing, just like Charlie. Javier feels safer wearing his hoodie as a sort of mask. Which I’ve seen Charlie do time and time again. Do you or your children wear a Hoddie as a mask? Because I haven’t although at times I should have and so should David.
Then you have Ms. J, the teacher who is facing a sort of retake situation professionally. Ms. J wants to help the students read, succeed on the test, and become stronger students overall. which is how two of Charlie’s all-time favorite teachers where when he was in Public School. I still miss them. because they got Charlie the help he needed.
There was a student who tried to flush Ms. J’s course book down the school toilet, Ms. J agrees to a new text, chosen by said student. Which is how the students end up reading a Choose-you-own-adventure story set in the Sandbox world. Ms. J agrees to join Sandbox herself, if the students will use correct grammar and spelling in the game chat.
As the five get to know each other, friendships form and the characters work together to solve their problems. In this book you will find free verse, stream of consciousness, chat, and graphics which Charlie loved. I love how ms. J implements 10 minutes of the day to reading aloud during class which equals 10 minutes of Ms. J playing Sandbox (a building game)
Which might be what I need to do to get Charlie to read every day except I would use 30 minutes a day just like in Public School to better understand her students’ shared obsession with the game motivating them to read. Through the story the author shows us how the characters are struggling with parent pressure, learning disabilities, family deaths, etc.
About the book:
From the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, and Knockout!
The Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee and the Teacher Griefer is a funny, clever novel-in-verse series about Ben Bellows—who failed the Language Arts section of the Florida State test—and three classmates who get stuck in a summer school class.
But these kids aren’t dumb—they’re divergent thinkers, as Ms. J tells them: they simply approach things in a different way than traditional school demands.
• Each chapter is told through the perspective of one of the four students, who each write in a different style (art, verse, stream of consciousness).
• Celebrates different types of intelligence
• A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse
Soon, the kids win over Ms. J with their passion for Sandbox, a Minecraft-type game. The kids make a deal with Ms. J: every minute they spend reading aloud equals one minute they get to play Sandbox in class. But when the administration finds about this unorthodox method of teaching, Ben B. and his buds have to band together to save their teacher’s job—and their own academic future.
The first in a series of complementary storylines, this is an honest, heartfelt book about friendship, videogames, and learning to love yourself.
• Features a distinct and engaging cast of characters
• Encourages even the most reluctant reader to embrace their own “divergent” self
• Perfect for parents of kids aged 10 and up who love Minecraft, educators and librarians, middle grade readers, new readers of poetry, and fans of videogames
• Add it to the shelf with books like Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Patina by Jason Reynolds, and Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan
About: K.A. Holt
When she is not trying to invent a time machine, K.A. Holt enjoys dusting her giant telescope, reading about zombies, and eating homegrown Tomatoes.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
