the next great paulie fink by ali benjamin

This inclusion of various cultures and family types also serves to paint a more accurate picture of rural, working-class America. Though Mitchell is a close, cohesive community, it is far from homogenous. Ali Benjamin manages to highlight the very best aspects of rural America at a time where many writers typically employ it only to illustrate our cultural divisions. Despite these struggles, there is a sense of purpose, a sense of community, a sense of togetherness.

Mitchell, VT is a small town with small-town problems, primarily a thinning population and all the economic woes that come from a shrinking tax base. It’s a weighty subject, to be sure, but the meek and studious Henry manages to distill it down to understanding the difference between being funny and being mean. Unsurprisingly, all this call for disruption necessitates an examination of mores, rules, and genuine morality, and our characters find a fair bit of daylight between the three. Celebrating Disruptorsįrom Paulie himself to reality star turned pop diva Jadelicious, The Next Great Paulie Fink is packed with characters that shirk convention and challenge the status quo in the search for their true selves. It makes for an endearing setpiece in a book that continually reinvents the stuffy tenets of classical education: “You base dunghill villain.” 3.

Shakespearian InsultsĬaitlyn’s first challenge in the contest to be grade seven’s new class clown sees her classmates hurling Shakespearian insults at each other. This allegory about the importance of education sets our young protagonist, Caitlyn, on her way to discover her own brand of tween enlightenment. The Allegory of the Caveīenjamin both perfectly encapsulates the nontraditional learning environment of Mitchell School and sets up the journey of self-discovery undertaken by its seventh-grade students early on as homeroom teacher Mags present the kids with Plato’s Cave. Here are 10 reasons to read The Next Great Paulie Fink and to share it with the kids in your life. Today, we bring this series to a close, but not without a simple but comprehensive look back on why this novel matters and why it deserves a place on your family bookshelf. Over the last week, we’ve taken a deep dive into the plot, characters, and underlying themes of The Next Great Paulie Fink by author Ali Benjamin. It’s another middle school tale of wonder and woe that the whole family is sure to enjoy. This is a sponsored post by Hachette Book Group and MK Creative.Throughout this week we’ll be exploring The Next Great Paulie Fink, author Ali Benjamin’s follow-up to her acclaimed 2015 novel The Thing About Jellyfish.

The next great paulie fink by ali benjamin