notesfromthemid

__Notes From the Midnight Driver__ by Jordan Sonnenblick ISBN: 978-0-439-75781-2 ©2006 265 pages

Good sections to read aloud: pp. 3-5 where Alex gets in trouble pp. 42-46 where Alex meets Solomon to serve his “sentence”

Summary: Alex’s parents are separated, and what really bothers him is that his dad left his mom for one of his teachers. When he gets this crazy idea to drink a ton of vodka, driver over to his father’s house to confront him, you can imagine that things don’t go quite exactly as he planned. As a result of his reckless driving, he lands himself in court. His sentence is to serve 100 hours of community service at a nursing home visiting with a guy named Solomon. Solomon is not nice, and does not let Alex “off the hook” to just serve his hours. Alex definitely earns his time, but also a newfound respect for his elders. Watch Alex transform during this ‘coming of age’ novel. It has a great message, along with a great ending.

YA fiction-- Teen issue; community service; drinking/driving; court

©Jennifer Lang - WDMS - 2010