Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a mesmerizing book. I picked this up during Spring Break and found that I couldn't put it down. This novel has quickly become my favorite book!
Jacob Jankowski is a college senior attending Cornell University during the Great Depression. About one week before final exams start Jacob gets horrible news: his parents died in a horrible car accident. When he returns home to pick up the pieces he finds there are no pieces, the bank has foreclosed on his parents house and his dad's veterinary business. So now Jacob feels like he has no future; the business he has was supposed to come home and take over doesn't exist anymore. He returns back to college to write his final exams, but ends up walking out of the exam and not writing the exam. After he leaves he continues walking and walking and eventually jumps on board a train that is going by next to him. He soon finds out that he has jumped on board a circus train. From that moment on his life is changed forever. The book continues on to tell about his adventures and all of the wonderful friends that he made including Camel, Marlena and Walter.
This is a very advanced book. It has some graphic content so I'm hesitant to teach it. An eleventh grader read it and recommended it to me, but I would probably use this in a 12th grade classroom or an AP classroom.
This novel is being turned into a movie and is due out sometime this year. I look forward to watching it!
Ashley, I definitely agree about the graphic nature of some scenes. I would also probably only teach it to seniors.
ReplyDeleteIt would be an incredible class read, however, because the author takes great care in character and plot development and in forging believable conflicts. Also, Gruen's story behind her research is also incredibly interesting.
This is a great book! I have read it too and it is very good. I agree about only teaching it to seniors in high school.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I wonder is how it could be incorporated with the typical textbook teaching of the Great Depression. Any ideas on how to relate the fact to the fiction?
ReplyDeleteThis does seem like a book to teach to seniors! They need to be more mature to handle more graphic content!
ReplyDelete