Week One: YA Novel with a SEL Theme

 Lose your memory. Find your life.

    Restart by Gordon Korman is a realistic fiction about a middle school-aged boy named Chase Ambrose, who develops amnesia after falling off his roof. The book begins with him in the hospital unable to recognize anyone, including his family, and most astoundingly, himself. Chapter two introduces a new character, Shoshanna Weber, and is told from her perspective. She explains how her twin brother, Joel, was sent to a different school, similar to that of a boarding school, due to being bullied by Chase Ambrose and his two friends, Aaron and Bear. 

    As Chase tries to return to life as it was, he starts to question who he is. He knows that he’s a jock, but why would that make other students run when they see him coming? At lunch on his first day back to school, Chase mistakenly sits at a table with Brenden Espinoza instead of with his football team. Brenden invites him to join the video club and eventually helps fill in the gaps that Chase has in his memory. Chase soon learns that he and his two best friends were sentenced to community service at an assisted living center for seniors for putting cherry bombs in the piano that Joel Weber was playing. While at the assisted living center, Chase meets Mr. Julius Solway, a veteran who received the Medal of Honor. The two form a close bond. 

    One day after school during video club, Shoshanna mentions the National Video Journalism Contest she plans to enter. Chase suggests she interview Mr. Solway, and the two decide to use Mr. Solway in the video interview to submit to the contest. Toward the end of their interview, Shoshanna decides to help Mr. Solway go through his things to find memorabilia to add to their video. While cleaning out the closet, Shoshanna runs across the box that holds Mr. Solway’s Medal of Honor, but the box is empty. Chase has a bad feeling that he knows who stole the medal.

“What kind of friend am I that I instantly suspect Aaron and Bear of stealing Mr. Solway’s medal? What kind of friends are they that it’s so easy for me to believe they did it? 

Two hard questions followed by a third: What should I do now?” (Korman, 2017, p. 121)

    Restart is an amazing story that includes topics such as bullying, internal conflict, moral dilemmas, and so many more that are relevant to today’s youth. I wouldn’t use this novel in grades below fourth due to the maturity level needed to fully grasp the struggles that the characters are facing. This story is a great example of teaching protagonists and antagonists. The majority of my students come to me with the understanding that a protagonist is the “good guy” and the antagonist is the “bad guy”. This story is a way to delve into the complexity of a character and how everyone can be both “good” and “bad” depending on the circumstances. The story being told from different characters’ perspectives is worth noting whenever reading this novel with students. I would have my students keep track of the transitions between the different characters’ perspectives as a whole group discussion to be sure everyone notices how a character’s traits may differ depending on whose perspective the story is being told from. This type of writing helps readers develop a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations, and I will continue to share this story with my future students each year.