Book Reviews
Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip
Reading level: Grades 5–8
By his own reckoning, Adam Canfield is the most overprogrammed middle-school student in America, "on the verge of being enriched to death." He is also the hilarious protagonist of Michael Winerip's entertaining, surprisingly subtle novel/treatise on public education, ethics, media, friendship, race relations, and entitlement.
The book begins slowly. But Adam Canfield of the Slash builds to become a veritable volcano of intertwined issues involving a school newspaper, The Slash. Ace student reporter Adam and his co-editor Jennifer are soon embroiled in some sticky situations that go well beyond the usual middle-school newspaper fare of Halloween safety tips and cafeteria food reviews. Has the school principal really misused funds from a bequest to the students to furnish her office with an entertainment system and gold plumbing? And if so, how on earth are a couple of eighth graders going to blow her cover? And why would they want to risk tarnishing their permanent records?
Humor, Intrigue, and Social Skills
This rich story will gratify middle-school-aged students and their teachers alike. Adam and his pals manage to promote important social skills without ever venturing into the contrived realm of many "issue" books. In the midst of their jam-packed days (references to the "after-school voluntary/mandatory" standardized test preparation classes are particularly funny), the characters model such skills as problem solving, asking for help, making a plan, taking responsibility for their actions, accepting consequences, and anger management. Subtlety is the name of the game here, though, so what kids will take from The Slash is a riveting plot loaded with humor, intrigue, and kid-power, in spite of the prosocial lessons teachers will be pleased to extract.
Emilie Coulter
Book Reviewer
Committee for Children
