This should be required reading in every middle school
933121
Wow - this is fantastic! So much of the rights Americans believe in come from the Bill of Rights, and yet students never learn about it unless they go to college and are exploring a pre-law track and take constitutional law. Which is exactly what I'm teaching this semester at a Cal State. This is written in exactly the kind of style that makes this accessible to middle schoolers, with just the right amount of background information. If my students had already had these thoughts about the Bill of Rights percolating in their heads for years, I know I'd be seeing better critical thinking in the homework I assign. But the Bill of Rights isn't just for lawyers: this should be part of the curriculum in every middle school.
3921574
Told in alternating perspectives, this book is well-crafted. One of those books you find yourself speeding through like a runaway train. The theme asks some intense questions about homelessness, our view of others, and what we are willing to do to change the world (or at least, our world.) But it is not heavy or overly depressing or melodramatic. Once again, the author proves she has a firm grip on voice. The plotting gets tricky when the two voices collide, but aside from a few writerly nit-picks, it is thoroughly well done. Should be in every middle school classroom and a must read at home. My favorite book so far this year.
871038
This was an incredible book! This should be required reading for all teachers and middle school students. This will give you a totally different perspective on the people in your world.
3633396
Mr. Null captures the essence of anybody who couldn't figure out how to fit in high school. In Half Mast, we meet a normal kid, Alex, who is bullied and taunted to the brink. Alex is written as richly and deeply as any fictional character I've ever read. Along with Alex are a group of his friends who are also social outcasts, kids just waiting to graduate from high school and leave suburban hell behind them. Even Alex recognizes that his college days are nearing and his life will be infinitely better in a few years, but something happens to him that he can't forgive or forget. Alex fulfills the dream of every kid who has been the victim of a bully and the adults who just turn a blind eye. The truth is that almost everyone has Alex in us. This is a compelling story, and one that should be required reading for every high school teacher to understand how their less-than-popular students are feeling.
4463480
This book is a must read, it should be a requirement at the k-12 level of school.
3091591
This should be required reading for everyone. This needs to be taught in junior high to make people aware of their cultural orientations and sensitive to others.
3367412
This book should be a required reading and study for the public school systems; from elementary through high school and even  colleges nationwide.
3204807
Awesome!  I think every child and teacher in middle school should read this book.  I also think we should all adopt the motto:"Be kinder than kind."  I've talked to a few kids who have read it and they loved it.  I can't wait to discuss it with my new sixth graders this year.  This was truly one of the best summer reading books ever assigned to our students.
3865069
What an incredible book! Beautifully, written. Profoundly important. Should be mandatory reading for teens, especially those of middle school age. This story is relatable to readers of all ages, and it offers perspective and hope. I love the friendships Joshua made and how through finding a support system, he was able to stop the bullying. But it takes a team. It takes friends who will be by your side; it takes teachers willing to take action; it takes school staff with zero bullying tolerance; it takes communication on the part of the victim; and it takes parents who are willing to do what it takes to protect their child. No child can handle this alone. Unfortunately, every school has a Brent and a Rhonda. It's up to us as a society to make sure bullies never have the opportunity to hurt other kids. As teachers/parents/adults we must LISTEN and take action!

Kudos to the author for including resources in the back of the book for anyone seeking help with bullying.
220141
This book will tug at lots of heartstrings. Remember how awful middle school was? But looking back, compared to adult life, it all makes sense now? Well if you don't, you will after you read this beautiful book. It teaches a great lesson, and not just for kids. Going through that age is awful enough, but for children who don't look like everyone else, it's ten times worse on them. This is such an accurate depiction of that struggle, made all the more endearing by a sweet boy who just wants to be normal. I have recommended this book to three different people already, and I just finished it a few days ago. No matter what your age, this story will warm your heart.
4466584
An extraordinary book that should be read in every classroom of every school! Elementary thru college!
3713431
I read this book for the first time in fourth grade and now as  a freshman in high school, I still read this book at least once every year. No book I've ever read has effected me so deeply. It has shaped the way I see things in our society and caused me to care about thnigs I otherwise might not have. I think it should be required reading for everyone. If you can't appreciate this book, you're a bonehead.
3657056
Every middle-schooler should read this. Maybe even every adult. It's a real-life way to teach children what addiction really looks like.
2743452
Very compelling. I think it should be required reading in the schools and for adults. Everyone can learn something from this book.
361828
I think every middle school child taking world history should read this book  . They cannot visualize this reality from a textbook chapter
458670
A book that should be read in every school.  It teaches about bullies and the hurt that can be inflicted if they aren't stopped.  It's a shame when people can't be just a little bit different.
Everyone needs to read this to feel what  Aaron felt walking into that school, and the sadness Jason felt.  Truly a must read...I read it in an hour...could not put it down.
3736427
This book should be part of the curriculum at every high school in America. Between the "establishment" histories and pop culture, we raise children who are thoroughly misinformed about what really happened in our past. In conjunction with Howard Zinn's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-People-s-History-of-the-United-States-1492-to-Present-P-S/dp/0060838655/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)</a>&nbsp;or its "young people's" versions, Loewen's iteration could render history relevant to student's lives. A personal example of Loewen's effect is that his reporting on J.Edgar Hoover's white supremacism was one of the keys I used to unlock the story of Billy Graham's undermining of Martin Luther King, Jr. in my biography,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Prince-of-War-Billy-Graham-s-Crusade-for-a-Wholly-Christian-Empire/dp/061516272X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Prince of War: Billy Graham's Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire</a>. I keep my copy of LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME near at hand in my office, as a quick reference on spuriousness in reporting. This book is essential.