Buddha Boy
Author: Kathe Koja
Page Length: 117
Reading Level: 7
Genre: Fiction
PLOT SUMMARY: Michael, also known as Jinsen, is the new kid in school. Only this new kid couldn’t stand out more in a rich school full of super jocks. Jinsen wears a big baggy peeling dragon shirt, shaves his head, and walks from table to table begging at lunch like a monk. Before long, he’s given the name Buddha Boy. He’s constantly picked on and ridiculed – hanging out with him is like committing social suicide. But Justin’s drawn to Jinsen’s outlook on life and his extreme talent an artist. The two become friends and Justin begins to discover Jinsen’s secret past. Bullies are constant looming, seeking to destroy Jinsen’s work and disrupt his indifference to their torture. Can Jinsen and Justin break the cycle of bullying before it is too late?
REVIEW: This is a wonderful book. The story relates some Buddhist principles about how everyone is like a God inside. Jinsen reveals his violent past and discusses why now he turns the other cheek – and how he too was once violent because he liked the way it made him feel.
I would highly recommend this book as a classroom read. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discuss bullying and the necessity for tolerating and understanding differences. It’s short – could be covered in a week or two in class – and carries an awesome message. The reader feels the pain and humiliation of Jinsen; we also share Justin’s rage and internal conflict at what he should do to aid his friend is also well expressed – the reader can feel the conflict within themselves and sense the gravity of the situation.
AREAS FOR TEACHING: cause and effect, author’s purpose, comparing and contrasting, character traits, conflict, and resolution
Full cast audio version is available
TOUCHY AREAS-PAGES: bullying and threat
RELATED BOOKS: Straydog, Exposure, Hit Squad, Crash, The Battle of Jericho
MOVIE, MUSIC, ART CONNECTIONS:
http://www.buddhanet.net/gallery.htm
Metropolitan Museum of Art
RELATED WEBSITES:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PBX/is_6_38/ai_n7179988
http://www.largeprintreviews.com/koja.html
http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/binary-data/NoNameCalling_ATTACHMENTS/file/17-1.pdf
http://www.drthrockmorton.com/respectandthefacts/documents/bullyingprevention.pdf
REVIEWED BY: Dayna Taylor