A Book Review By Cameron Kathrein EDCI 597 October 30 th, 2009

Summary Not Much Just Chillin’ follows a number of characters (Lily, Jackie, Elizabeth, Eric, and Jimmy) through their Middle School experiences at a public Middle School in Columbia, Maryland over the course of a year. The book shows a side of these students, as they begin to experience physical and mental changes brought on by puberty and changes in their environment, that is typically not seen at the surface level. It shows a side of students that is both revealing, intriguing and sometimes almost scary.

Summary Each individual character seems to be somewhat in limbo between high school and grade school. They face the dilemma of having a level of independence they did not previously enjoy, while still being young and immature enough to either abuse it or make bad decisions for themselves. The characters face rapid change, the pressures of fitting in and finding their own place among a clique, the temptations of engaging in sexual activities, and making many other decisions that could shape how they live out the rest of their young adult years.

What I Learned From This Book In reading this book, I found that Middle School students are under a great deal of stress. It seems as though every move they make is calculated, for better or for worse. No matter how apathetic or unengaged a middle schooler may seem, they are certainly struggling with inner and, most likely, outer turmoil. Even though they may act as though they are impervious to the common problems they face on a daily basis, inside they are obsessing and stressing over nearly every little detail of their lives.

What I Learned From This Book I also learned that teachers need to be in tune to what these students are going through. It seems as though school work basically takes a back seat to the social lives of these students and we need to realize that the answer to “why” is not simply laziness. These students have a lot on their plates, and in order to be as effective as possible in teaching them we must be able to empathize. Because for most of us middle school seems like such a long time ago, this book reminded me of all the drama involved in a middle schooler’s life. It refreshed my memory and will hopefully help me understand why my own students are acting the way they do once I have a classroom of my own.

In My Opinion… In my opinion, this book was extremely entertaining. From the characters exploring their sexuality, to being upset because their friends did not call to let them know they were going to wear matching outfits the next day of school, this book does a brilliant job of highlighting the insecurities of these students and the pettiness among groups of friends in the middle school. I did have trouble at times keeping track of all the characters as the author does seem to jump between them at times, but it was an overall great book. I would suggest this book to anyone preparing to teach at a middle school.