Trout and Me-Review

I saw this on the recommended shelf at the library and thought it look like a fun book.  It's the story of  Ben, an eleven-year old boy that struggles  ADD and a lack of friends at school.  A new kid named Trout moves in and the two immediately bond through a series of pranks and schemes and become best friends and almost get expelled from school.

My thoughts:
 First of all, it's only 144 pages long and so I read almost the entire thing at swim practice.  The book deals with some pretty heavy topics, but Shreve did an excellent job of balancing series matters with warmth and humor so the book didn't become to heavy.


I didn't like that these boys did not have any adults that were capable or willing to help them or be there advocate. It was really heartbreaking, but probably a sad reality.

I love this line, "My bad reputation has followed me like a tail getting longer every year."   So sad, but so true.  Kind of like the old adage "First impressions last." I think kids find their roles and then fulfill that role until it becomes almost their identity.  They could be the teacher's pet, the class clown, the crybaby, the trouble-maker, athlete etc.   I worry that kids will take these labels on as self-fulfilling prophecies.

I actually read this a few days before spending the week with 19 Cub Scouts at Day Camp and the timing could not have been better. It helped me try and be more patient and to remember that I was dealing with little boys with little boy bodies and little boy attention spans.

I give it a solid 4/5 stars for being entertaining and reminding me to be kind.

Linking up here.
Some more thoughts on books here.