Reaching Dustin

I thought that Reaching Dustin was an excellent book. Not only was it exciting and dramatic it had lots of detail and desciption. The author made an excellent role of Dustin. He is a shy character with lots of secrets. Carly is a well written character too. Vicki chooses an incident that happened in third grade as a reason for the way Dustin is. Things happen to both Dustin and Carly that even Vicki didn't know were going to happen. I'd tell you to read the book but it's up to you.

Carly, a young girl that lives in rural Missouri, is involved in many problems at the setting of this book. her friendship with long time best friends Alicia and Randi is falling apart and she is assigned to interview Dustin Groat, of the Groat family that has been known to the town for starting trouble. She starts interviewing with very little success. then with a little research and eavesdropping, she learns about Dustin's past and understands why his life is so hard. This is one of the best young adult novels that I have read. It is obvious that Vicki Grove is very talented writer and I'd love to see a sequel to this fabulous novel. Everybody can compare to these realistic characters, and that will make your reading even more enjoyable. A definite must read.Happy Reading!

Carly is a 6th grade student and pulls Dustin Groat's name for an important interview. Dustin has been really mean ever since 3rd grade and he was meanest to Carly. When they start to interview she asks Dustin his name, he says, " Superman ", she writes down Dustin Groat. She asks more questions and one of his answers really surprises her. She tells her little brother, Luke, stories and he gets hurt. Suddenly Dustin drops out of school after a terrible accident involving Carly's friend, Alicia or Ali for short, and he doesn't come back. can she get him to come back to school? Read the book to find out.

I just finished reading this wonderful book, Reaching Dustin. It caused me to think about the way people treat other people. I teach 4th and 5th graders, and I plan to read Reaching Dustin aloud during the first few weeks when we do our anti-bullying activities. I think the issues related to families (some nurturing, some dysfunctional), friends, and bullies raised in this book will make all readers/hearers think about "walking in another's shoes." Maybe reading and talking about the book will even help us treat one another better. The characters seemed so real to me -- I just can't quit thinking about them. Vicki Grove has written a book that parents, teachers, and children should read together and discuss.

Many people cannot imagine what it is like to not have a family who loves you. Dustin is that type of a person. His mother dies and he has to learn to seek help and trust from a classmate who wants to help him. Dustin lives in a place that has cops swarming the place all the time. Carly has to do an interview on Dustin for class. She really doesn't like this situation, especially since her best friends switched so they could interview each other. Carly then learns that she has to put herself in someone else's shoes in order to understand how life could be worse. If you like to read, this is a young adult book is for you. After the very first chapter, you are absolutely hooked on this book. I enjoyed reading it because you don't know what might happen next. Read this book and you'll feel sorry for everyone you have either mistrusted or disliked.