Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction, Native American Fiction, Diary Novels

Interest Level:
Ages 13 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 600, Grades 7 and up

Book Theme:
Native American families, alcoholism, dysfunctional families, loss, new schools

Books with Similar Themes:  
Racing the Sun by Paul Pitts, Looking for Alaska by John Green

Bibliographic Information:
Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little Brown & Company.

Author's Website:
http://www.fallsapart.com/

Plot:  
Fourteen-year-old Junior lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation with his family, which is very poor. Junior has been growing tired of the hopeless life on the reservation. With a teacher's encouragement he decides to transfer to Reardan High, a school off the reservation, in hopes of a better education and future. Things don't go very well at first. People on the reservation think he has abandoned them, especially his best friend Rowdy. He also doesn't seem to fit in at his new school. Slowly he starts to make friends and even joins the basketball team, but then he has to play the team at his old high school! Then tragedy starts happening left and right in his family. Life isn't easy for Junior, and he has to find a way to pull through and to balance his two worlds, one on the reservation and the other at Reardan High, which proves to be very difficult to do!

Review:  
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a story that has everything, humor, tragedy, friendship, budding romance, and much more! The story touches on some profound issues like alcoholism and death, but does it in a way that isn't overwhelming. The characters are unique and each one almost seems real. Tweens will appreciate this story for it's funny moments and sad ones too. They will also love Junior's sense of humor and his bravery to strike out on his own in order to better his education and future. Many tweens will understand what it's like to lose a friend like Junior did when Rowdy ended their friendship, and the sadness that surrounds that loss. This is a great story for both for Native American tweens and tweens who want to know about some of the issues faced by Native Americans today!


Notable Tweens:

Arnold (Junior)- The fourteen-old main character, Junior enjoys playing basketball, writing in his journal, and drawing cartoons.

Rowdy- Junior's best friend on the reservation, Rowdy has a mean streak and beats up Junior for leaving. Rowdy is abused by his father and takes his anger out on people, but he also has a soft side and cares deeply for his friends.

Penelope- The pretty white girl at Reardan High who Junior develops a crush on and takes to the school dance. Penelope has a racist father, and suffers from bulimia.

Gordy- A nerdy kid at Reardan who is brilliant. He does everything in the name of science, and eventually becomes good friends with Junior.