NO. MORE. HOMEWORK.
That’s what sixth grader Sam Warren tells his teacher while standing on top of his desk. He's fed up with doing endless tasks from the time he gets home to the time he goes to sleep. Suspended for his protest, Sam decides to fight back. He recruits his elderly neighbor/retired attorney Mr. Kalman to help him file a class action lawsuit on behalf of all students in Los Angeles. Their argument? Homework is unconstitutional.
With a ragtag team—aspiring masterchef Alistair, numbers gal Catalina, sports whiz Jaesang, rebel big sister Sadie and her tech-savvy boyfriend Sean—Sam takes his case to federal court. He learns about the justice system, kids’ rights, and constitutional law. And he learns that no matter how many times you get knocked down, there's always an appeal...until the nine justices have the last say.
Will Sam's quest end in an epic fail, or will he be the hero who saves childhood for all time?
Just in time for school to start again!
A fun and thought provoking story. I personally don't remember much about my homework in school. I remember having it, but quantifying how much I had...I don't think it was as much as these kids have. Considering I had enough time for band and family and tv and books, I either didn't have much or got enough done in class to offset it. Granted, there was never enough time for sleep, and I doubt that will change any time soon.
It wasn't brought up in this story, but I would be interested in seeing how these backwards schools have an effect on performance. There are a couple places that assign lectures/reading at home, then discuss, interpret, work on everything with the teachers at school. From what I've heard, everybody seems to prefer it. Then there's the year-round school years.
But down to the story itself. Sam and his friends aren't really detailed in and of themselves, but as much as they'd like to be, they're not the focus. The court case is the focus, and in that this story is highly educational. It's easy to insert yourself into it, so I can see it being very popular for middle-grade kids.
The only part that lost me was the ending. I won't give it away, but suffice it to say I found the whole thing a bit unbelievable. Entertaining, sure. Inspiring, yep. But after it was over, I didn't feel like I had anywhere to go.
So I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who has any interest in homework, politics, or change in general. Especially now, it never hurts to show kids that they have power to change things for the better.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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