[HAQ]⇒ PDF The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Josh Berk 9780375956997 Books

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Josh Berk 9780375956997 Books

Download As PDF : The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Josh Berk 9780375956997 Books

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Josh Berk 9780375956997 Books

First a SPOILER ALERT. The "most helpful" negative review below, by a person named Spellmann, criticizes this book for being "potty mouthed", and then for good measure gives away the ending and identifies the murderer. Be warned, if you are interested in this book for the mystery aspect.
One of the editorial reviews above refers to this book as a "mash-up" of genres - teen romance, mystery, satire, confessional, and so on - and that's a fair description. The question is which of those you are most interested in. The mystery is just middling at best, and seems mostly to be a device to keep the plot moving along. The adolescent confessional is stronger, but very muddled. Our hero, Will, describes himself as fat, sweaty, and clumsy, but is also very superior to and condescending about his peers. That may be an accurate portrait of a teenage character, but it can become off-putting to a teen reader, and tedious for an adult reader. This is especialy the case because Will's sidekick, Devon, is allowed to develop into a very resourceful and appealing character, and Will' ex-girlfriend, who makes a brief cameo appearance is funny, smart and memorable. Given that, one wishes that Will had been allowed a little more room to capture the reader.
And perhaps that just wasn't possible, because Will also has to carry all of the burden of explaining deaf culture to the reader. The author, in this regard, is obviously very well intentioned. The task of both portraying day to day deaf life and accomodations, and of addressing deaf issues like cochlear implants, is a daunting one, and trying to do all of that through Will, while moving a mystery plot, and telling his adolescent/high school story, may just be too much to ask.
At bottom, I was disappointed that the author didn't do more and achieve more with regard to deaf issues. Then I rethought and decided that just trying and just even having a deaf hero was laudable. Then I went back to disappointment because the rest of the book suggests that a better job could have been done. Then I got a hold of myself and decided that the attempt to write on these issues should just be supported, and that any deaf protagonist should be considered a success. Then..., well you get the idea. So, bottom line: worth a try? Yes. Mixed results? Yes. Could you either love it more than me or hate it more than me? Likely.


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The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin Josh Berk 9780375956997 Books Reviews

Even though this book is tagged as being for young readers, I think that it is a book that people of all ages can read and enjoy. I particularly like how the author got into the mind of this deaf teenage boy. The book just crackles with authenticity ....which is a large part of the humor. I mainly downloaded this book because it is coming up as a book club selection, but I'm SO glad I did; because I enjoyed it tremendously. I'll be recommending it to all my friends. [And we're all 'older' readers!]
This is certainly the most satisfying Young Adult novel I've read in a very long time ... and one of the most enjoyable books of any genre!

"I try to figure out my connection to this world, but, ... I barely know my place in this classroom" is Will Halpin's reverie, but it's pretty much how many of us felt sitting in a classroom envying and resenting those students who seemed to have it all; however, as Josh Berk makes clear, everyone struggles in his own way. Halpin starts out angrily uprooting a Deaf Child Area sign and carrying it off as if it were Excalibur, but his real confrontation and healing come in his class trip to a coal mine and his lone travels through a hidden tunnel, where he not only advances his skills as a sleuth but gains some important self-knowledge.

At one point, Will Halpin brings home a dog and hides it from his parents, and each word, each thought is so genuine and unaffected that I challenge anyone to find a better depiction of this event that seems to form a part of just about every child's life--unless they are allergic to fur-bearing animals and bring home, say, a chameleon.

All this is not to say that there aren't many hilarious incidents that come about through Halpin's encounters with other students and his back and forth texting with loyal Devon Smiley--there are even love interests--but I most appreciated being taken back to the classroom when life was waiting to be discovered.
I think this book is great. This book is fast paced, witty, well written and engrossing. Halpin is the high schooler who tells the story and he is attending a public school after transferring from a school for the deaf. This kid has it going on. His observations are priceless and his descriptions of what he sees and feels and thinks are terrific examples for youngsters--writing using metaphors. It all works because the plot is truly interesting, the characters are developed and you really care about them and the dialogue is snappy and hilarous. For students who do not care for reading this is the book to suggest. Start off reading it to them if they will let you, and then they will be off and running. Does some of the language have the potential to offend? Absolutely. As my 7th grader said in his report on this book, "I would recommend this book to all students, 7th grade and up. The language is inappropriate for students younger than that." He is right. This author (Berk) knows how to get kids to sit down and enjoy a book. I can't wait for his next book to come out. I owe him big.
First a SPOILER ALERT. The "most helpful" negative review below, by a person named Spellmann, criticizes this book for being "potty mouthed", and then for good measure gives away the ending and identifies the murderer. Be warned, if you are interested in this book for the mystery aspect.
One of the editorial reviews above refers to this book as a "mash-up" of genres - teen romance, mystery, satire, confessional, and so on - and that's a fair description. The question is which of those you are most interested in. The mystery is just middling at best, and seems mostly to be a device to keep the plot moving along. The adolescent confessional is stronger, but very muddled. Our hero, Will, describes himself as fat, sweaty, and clumsy, but is also very superior to and condescending about his peers. That may be an accurate portrait of a teenage character, but it can become off-putting to a teen reader, and tedious for an adult reader. This is especialy the case because Will's sidekick, Devon, is allowed to develop into a very resourceful and appealing character, and Will' ex-girlfriend, who makes a brief cameo appearance is funny, smart and memorable. Given that, one wishes that Will had been allowed a little more room to capture the reader.
And perhaps that just wasn't possible, because Will also has to carry all of the burden of explaining deaf culture to the reader. The author, in this regard, is obviously very well intentioned. The task of both portraying day to day deaf life and accomodations, and of addressing deaf issues like cochlear implants, is a daunting one, and trying to do all of that through Will, while moving a mystery plot, and telling his adolescent/high school story, may just be too much to ask.
At bottom, I was disappointed that the author didn't do more and achieve more with regard to deaf issues. Then I rethought and decided that just trying and just even having a deaf hero was laudable. Then I went back to disappointment because the rest of the book suggests that a better job could have been done. Then I got a hold of myself and decided that the attempt to write on these issues should just be supported, and that any deaf protagonist should be considered a success. Then..., well you get the idea. So, bottom line worth a try? Yes. Mixed results? Yes. Could you either love it more than me or hate it more than me? Likely.