Bradley是學校裡上上下下避之唯恐不及的頭疼人物,他沒有朋友,從來不做功課,以壞學生自居。然而,這一切在他遇到了新來的輔導老師 Carla之後,開始有了轉變。Carla不但認真地傾聽 Bradley 的各種古怪想法,並且以引導的方法逐漸讓Bradley褪下冷酷的武裝,開始發揮出內心的良善與能力,人際關係也因而獲得改善。但是就在事情漸入佳境的時候,學校受到家長會的壓力,要請輔導老師走路,以節省經費來為學校裝設電腦。這樣的變化,對於Bradley的未來將會有什麼影響呢?
Louis Sachar這本小說探討的其實是缺乏安全感的兒童人格成長的問題,但是在作者風趣又凝煉的筆法之下,讀來一點也不覺嚴肅。小讀者可以從Bradley所面臨的問題去思考自己的切身經驗,而老師與家長也能從Carla引導式的啟發教育獲得省思。這是一本值得推薦給青少年與家長們的優良讀物。
The beloved bestseller from Newbery Medalist and National Book Award winner Louis Sachar (Holes), with a brand-new cover
"Give me a dollar or I''ll spit on you." That''s Bradley Chalkers for you. He''s the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls, and the teachers say he has serious behavior problems. No one likes him--except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and she even enjoys his far-fetched stories. Carla knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren''t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . .