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Young People Making a Difference... Together
By lynmiller-lachmann on 2010-06-30 00:39:37
School’s out, and it’s time to think about summer reading. Like last year, I wanted to choose books that showed young
people making a difference in the world around them. I picked out two books published in 2010 that I feel are truly valuable
reads—Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich’s 8th Grade Superzero (Scholastic), in which the young characters get involved in
their own community, and Mitali Perkins’s Bamboo People (Charlesbridge), which depicts the terrible situation of child
soldiers and refugees in Burma. I had planned to write and post this review two days ago, but I was out of town at a
conference and injured my foot. As a result, I could not get around easily, and because getting around took so much longer, I
didn’t have the time. Hobbling around for two days and then driving home gave me plenty of time to think, and I thought of
all the good friends who helped me in my time of distress—the conference staffer who dashed out to get me ice while trying
to coordinate an event involving hundreds of librarians and authors, the picture book author who took time from her book
signings to distribute fifty change of address flyers to my work contacts, the publisher who carefully wrapped a bag of ice
around my purple and swelling foot, and the old friend who loaned me her cane for the day. During this time, it occurred to
me that the common theme of 8th Grade Superzero and Bamboo People is in fact friendship. In each, the young people get
involved because of their friends, and with their friends. Eighth grade was supposed to be Reggie McKnight’s best year—
until an unfortunate incident on the first day, in front of the entire K-8 school, destroyed his
social standing and earned him the nickname “Pukey.” But since Reggie’s Jamaican immigrant parents cannot afford to send
him away to school—his father has just lost his job—Reggie must muddle along with the help of his good friends, budding
activist Ruthie Robinson and Joe C., since kindergarten the cartoonist for Reggie’s superhero comic series, Night Man. At
Ruthie’s urging, Reggie becomes a buddy to a kindergartner, and his church group (where he is a leader in contrast to his
low status at school) is working on a project at the local homeless shelter. Reggie soon learns that his buddy lives at the
shelter, and his commitment to his service work there eventually leads him to do something he never thought he would do—
return to the stage to make his case for president of the student council. This novel for older elementary and middle school
readers has staples of the genre—bullies, prima donnas, overbearing siblings, and goofy school officials—that add to the
humor. Debut novelist Rhuday-Perkovich has a light touch that keeps this novel about social action from becoming dull or
preachy. Reggie’s voice is delightful, and through dialogue the author captures the unique voices of each of her other major
characters. But as he is knocked down and gets up again to fight harder than ever, Reggie is the star, a role model for “the
rest of us.” While school and neighborhood are the locations of Reggie’s activism in 8th Grade Superzero, Mitali Perkins
explores the situation of children and teenagers in Burma (renamed Myanmar by its repressive military government) and in
refugee camps in Thailand. Her novel Bamboo People is told from the points of view of 15-year-old Chiko, a studious city
boy whose father, a doctor, is already in prison for criticizing the government, and 16-year-old Tu Reh, a refugee from the
minority Karenni ethnic group. The Karenni are among several minority groups under attack from the military government.
When Chiko is kidnapped and forced into the army, he befriends a fellow draftee, Tai, and teaches Tai to read. The two
become friends, and Chiko saves Tai’s life, though in doing so he puts himself in danger and in the path of Tu Reh. In turn,
Tu Reh, though angry with the Burmese soldiers who burned his home, killed his people, and forced his family into exile,
finds common ground with Chiko. Their budding friendship forces Tu Reh to stand up to fellow refugees who see Chiko as
the enemy and want to punish him. Bamboo People introduces readers young and old to a
country that is one of the most notorious human rights violators in the world today. Along with a gripping story, the author
provides a detailed section of background information and links for readers to get involved at www.bamboopeople.org.
Burma/Myanmar is one of the principal exploiters of child soldiers, and the government has persecuted ethnic and religious
minorities since it gained power in a coup in 1962. The most visible pro-democracy leader, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner
Aung Sun Suu Kyi, remains under house arrest two decades later—a current Amnesty International campaign is focusing on
her freedom—and thousands of other, less visible activists like Chiko’s father in Bamboo People, endure torture and
horrendous living conditions in the country’s vast network of political prisons. (Several years ago, I heard a leader from the
Karen ethnic group speak at Albany Medical Center about his three years of imprisonment and torture in Burma/Myanmar
before he was able to flee to Thailand.) In writing Bamboo People, Perkins encourages young people to get involved in
global issues and in the protection of human rights and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. In the next few weeks I
will interview her for specific suggestions for activities and her thoughts on how to interest tweens and teens in these issues.
However, a reading of both 8th Grade Superzero and Bamboo People points to one strategy—getting involved as a way for
young people to find others with common interests, to make friends, and to deepen friendships by working on projects
together. Disclosure: I bought both 8th Grade Superzero and Bamboo People.
