Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown.
Junior is the main character in the story who receives advice from a teacher, that he should relocate to another school to receive a better education. Once he relocates, it is very difficult for him to make friends, keep his childhood best friend from hating him, and being accepted in his new school by his peers. Eventually he makes friends with a very smart and inspiring boy named “Gordy”, has some acquaintances at school, and falls in love with a girl named Penelope who sort of becomes his girlfriend. Despite all the hardships he experiences, he later realizes that everything was worth it in the end. This book had me laughing and crying at the same time from cover to cover. I think teens can learn many things from this book, but one main lesson could be to always keep your head up high no matter what life throws at you. Junior experienced many difficult events but no matter the situation, Junior never gave up and that is one thing teens could appreciate from Junior. In the book “Making the Match”, it states that books can serve as portals to help students see others struggling with similar emotions and feelings and reactions. This book can definitely help teens cope with the difficulty of making new friends, and struggles with family and community.
