Starting middle school after summer seems like a drag for
four students. Jake hasn't grown but his friends have. A
Chinese girl Dorothy wonders, if fruit and vegetables are
so important, how come the school vending machine is
stocked with candy and snacks? She'd rather manga than
maths. Hannah, Jake's older sister, is obsessed with boys
and clothes, just like all her girl pals. Danny, Jake's
best friend, is also the son of the family's gardener, and
he's Mexican with a bunch of local kids to hang out with
when Jake's away with the family. All four attend the same
public school - some because it has good Honours classes -
and we get stories from each.
TRASH CAN DAYS follows Danny as he decides not to get
involved with any gangs, because he can already see
antagonistic interactions between schoolmates for that
reason. He gets to go with Jake to the set of a Hollywood
film, because Jake's father is the producer. School seems
petty and banal after that experience. Hannah has an
idealised notion of what will happen if she lies down on a
handsome boy's bed, and when he puts his hands on her she
immediately thinks of him as a creep and calls her mother
to take her home. The boy spreads stories about her and
she loses her friends. Jake feels a bit happier in a
writing club and doesn't realise that Dorothy, who
daydreams her life away and composes fantasy stories, has
a crush on him; he's hardly noticed she's in the club.
Teddy Steinkellner intersperses the action with pages of
text-speak between kids, memos between teachers requesting
funding for courses, and school notices about classes and
timetables. I could have done without the texting and I
thought the rest could have been covered by some dialogue.
But maybe young students would relate to it more than I
did. Growing up presents many challenges such as peer
pressure, and the diverse group of characters shows how
different people might react. I found this book less
amusing than 'The Elephant of Surprise' by Brent Hartinger
and more like 'Twerp' by Mark Goldblatt, but the ending is
more serious than either of those and a real life lesson
has to be learned. TRASH CAN DAYS is not your average
kids' adventure and young adults everywhere can read it and
reconsider their activities at school.
Jake Schwartz is not looking forward to middle school.
Puberty feels light years away, he's not keen on the cool
clothes or lingo, and he has the added pressure of preparing
for his bar mitzvah. The only saving grace is that Danny
Uribe, his lifelong best friend, will be by his side....
Or will he? Since Danny's summer growth spurt, there's been
a growing distance between him and Jake. Danny is excited to
explore all that junior high has to offer--especially the
girls (and most notably Hannah, Jake's older sister). But
gang life has its allure, and he soon finds himself in over
his head.
Meanwhile, Hannah is dealing with her own problems; being
Queen Bee is not easy. The other girls are out for blood,
and boys are so...exhausting. Danny surprises her with his
maturity, but can her reputation survive if she's linked to
a sevvy? And what would Jake think about his sister hooking
up with his best friend?
Dororthy Wu could not care less about junior high drama. She
is content staying in her bedroom and writing epic stories
of her adventures as a warrior mermaid maiden. But that
changes when she discovers the school's writing club. There,
she meets a young lad with heroic potential and decides that
life outside of her fantasy world just might have some
appeal.
In the course of one year at San Paulo Junior High, these
four lives will intersect in unique and hilarious ways.
Friendships will grow and change. Reputations will
transform. And someone will become a man.
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