Turtle Boy
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER
A boy who has spent his life living inside a shell discovers the importance of taking chance in this "winner" (Booklist, starred review) of a friendship story that's perfect for fans of Wonder.
It's the year of Will Levine's bar mitzvah, and for his community service project, he's expected to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. Will can't think of anything worse, mainly because he will have to face his fear of hospitals. Life in the seventh grade isn't much easier. The kids are relentless--they bully Will because of his funny looking chin.
When Will and RJ first meet, they DO NOT get along. Then RJ shares his bucket list with Will. Among the things he wants to do: ride a roller coaster; go to a school dance; swim in the ocean. To Will, happiness is hanging out in his room, alone, preferably with the turtles he collects. But as RJ's disease worsens, Will realizes he needs to tackle the bucket list on RJ's behalf before it's too late. It seems like an impossible mission, way outside Will's comfort zone. But as he completes each task with RJ's guidance, Will learns that life is too short to live in a shell.
"Everyone deserves a friend like Will Levine." --Lynne Kelly, author of Song for a Whale
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"I think it's going to be a living nightmare," Will Levine replies when his chirpy mother, on the first day of seventh grade, predicts that this year will be better than last. The forthright narrator of Wolkenstein's debut middle grade novel proves prescient: he's taunted by bullies who dub him "Turtle Boy" for his chin, which is shrinking due to micrognathia; he learns that he'll need extensive surgery to correct the issue, which otherwise could affect his breathing; his best friend has ditched him for her volleyball teammates; and his emotional sanctuary, the swampland from which he has purloined several turtles that are now his beloved pets, is slated for development. Perhaps most unsettling to the boy, terrified of hospitals since his father's sudden death during surgery, his rabbi recruits him to visit RJ, a hospitalized boy with a fatal illness, to fulfill his bar mitzvah community service requirement. Will's affecting bond with the patient brings him out of his shell as he tackles comfort-level-defying challenges on RJ's bucket list and reconciles long-simmering emotions linked to his own parents. A masterful mingling of deeply resonant themes, including self-esteem, loneliness, loss, and the rewards of improbable friendships. Ages 10 up.
Customer Reviews
one of the best books i have read 🤩
When I was reading this book I could not put it down (I read the hardcover book.) This book was really good and I would love to go back in time and re read the book. The ending was so sad I actually cried (which I rarely do with a book), its relatable, it’s perfect. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not Bad
I have to say, this wasn’t a bad book but there were some things I didn’t like about it. Pros: It was heartfelt, had some great supporting characters, and had an overall, good moral. Cons: The main character is pretty unlikable and there are some boring parts. The story is about this kid named Will who is shy and lives with his widowed mother. He can’t stand up for himself or anyone. For example, his friend gets fat shamed, I guess she is sensitive on the topic but anyway, Will doesn’t do anything and just goes along with everyone else (even though his chin is deformed and he gets bullied for it). This kid also keeps illegal wild turtles as pets which is wrong on so many levels. However, there are parts of this story that I really love. One of these examples is one of the subplots. It’s about a kid named RJ who has an incurable disease, at one point in the story, will literally stops signing his community service form for his bar mitzvah. Overall, unlikable protagonist and lovable story.
:)
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) yay the book is great, read it, good for your kids too:) :) :) :) :)