Book Review: Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emerson

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 12-14

Reading Level:
Lexile 870, grades 5 and up

Book Theme:
Bullying, peer-pressure, mental illness


Books with Similar Themes: 
The Meanest Girl by Debora Allie, Gifted by Beth Evangelista


Bibliographic Information:
Emerson, K. (2008). Carlos is gonna get it. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Plot:  
Seventh grader Trina and her friends have had it with their classmate Carlos. Carlos is weird. He is always disrupting the class. He falls out of his chair all the time and then lifts up his shirt and starts scratching himself like crazy, which everyone thinks is gross. He starts saying off the wall things and acts like he's insane.  He never even gets in trouble for his outbursts, everyone else gets in trouble instead! Trina's friend Thea decides it's time to play a trick on Carlos on their upcoming school trip to New Hampshire, and wants to involve Trina in her scheme. Trina can't stand Carlos, but the more she hears about the plan the more she gets a nagging feeling that it's wrong. Trina doesn't want to go through with it, but what will her friends say if she tells them no? Will they make fun of her? Will she wind up with no friends like Carlos? Will people think she LIKES Carlos? Trina has a decision to make, and she has to make it soon before someone gets hurt!

Review: 
Carlos is Gonna Get It is a story that showcases a number of tough issues tweens deal with in everyday school life, like peer-pressure, bullying, needing to fit in, and trying to do what is right. The characters of Carlos is Gonna Get is are written with vivid description and seem almost real. Trina's conflicted feelings demonstrate a situation many tweens find themselves in, which is whether they should go with the crowd even through they know what the crowd wants to do is wrong, or take a stand for what's right and risk being permanently outcast from that crowd. This story shows that sometimes in it's not so easy to choose between right and wrong and that there can sometimes be unpleasant consequences for either choice. The ending of the book will stick with you for a long time too. It's a great read for tweens who are struggling with a making a tough decision between what their peers want and what they know in their heart is right.
  
Notable tweens:


Trina- Told from her point of view, Trina is considered one of the nice girls in her class.She's so nice that she even talks to Carlos before school sometimes, but only when her classmates aren't looking. Sometimes she gets tired of doing the right thing and once and a while wants to do something bad, but her conscience still nags at her when she and her friends are mean to Carlos.

Sara- Trina's best friend, Sara is an advanced swimmer who has goals set on the Junior Olympics. Her hectic schedule starts to stress her out, and when she accidentally injures her legs she feels like she has failed her parents, who always want her to be perfect.

Thea- The ring leader of their group of friends, Trina is always scheming and playing tricks on people. Most of the time she does little things that people deserve, like tripping a guy when he calls a girl fat. But sometimes she goes a little too far, yet not one dares to stand up to her. She had her eye set on the popular group, but they ignored her.

Carlos- Carlos is a boy who struggles emotionally and every so often comes to school acting insane. He starts acting crazy and it disrupts the entire class. He says he can't help it, but most people think he's just putting on an act so he can get out of class. He and Trina are paired up for a science project and he confides in her that he sees aliens. Trina thinks he nuts, but also starts to think that maybe he outbursts really aren't his fault, which makes it even harder for her to carry out the trick.