Book Reviews
If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko
Reading level: Grades 4–6
Kirsten's life is going from bad to worse. She's gained 30 pounds between sixth and seventh grade, her parents are constantly fighting, and her best friend has abandoned her in favor of the popular crowd. Things begin to look up when she meets Walker (a.k.a. Walk) and Matteo, two boys who have their own battles on the harsh middle school playing field.
Walk is one of three African Americans at their ritzy private school, and Matteo harbors a potentially devastating secret about his personal life. Each of these three must maneuver through the land mines of adolescence, showing one face to friends, another for family, and still another for teachers.
Wealth and privilege run the show at the Mountain School, and racism and classism seem quietly rampant. Matteo, who is Hispanic, gets called "burrito boy," and Walk, who in his exhausting role as "model minority" can't afford to get in trouble, has to put up with being called "Martin Luther King." Unpopular kids are falsely accused of theft and other mischief, and the administration, at best, is caught in the trap of keeping the wealthy parent/supporters happy, which doesn't always lead to fair play for the children whose parents are less wealthy.
Gennifer Choldenko crafts a riveting, funny, and penetrating novel that takes on the agony and (rare) ecstasy of middle school life. Kirsten, Walk, and Matteo are the kind of characters readers want to keep as their own friends. Their pain as they attempt to find and maintain integrity on a cruel landscape will be felt by all.
Social and Emotional Lessons in If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period
When a school first acknowledges, then addresses the multi-faceted issue of bullying—oblique, blatant, or implicit—the climate will change for the better. It's not easy, but it's far more difficult for beleaguered children to tackle this problem on their own. When Kirsten, Walk, and Matteo feel alone in their troubles, what do they accomplish? When they begin to find support among peers and teachers, how do things go?
STEPS TO RESPECT teachers can also open a discussion about the trickiness of working around the established culture in a school, especially when racism or bullying is tacitly accepted. Bystander bullying is also an issue at the Mountain School; readers can explore what characters like Rory (Kirsten's ex-best friend) could have done differently when false accusations began to fly.
Emilie Coulter
Book Reviewer
Committee for Children
