Stuff We All Get

Stuff We All Get

  • By: K.L. Denman
  • Pages:128
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Series: Orca Currents
  • Themes:music, synesthesia, celebrity culture, singer, emotional honesty
  •  
  • Available:09/01/2011
  • Reading Level:2.9
  • Lexile:HL490L
  • ATOS:3.3
Paperback
9781554698202
$9.95
Ebook
9781554698233 LICENSE OPTIONS
$7.99
Hardcover
9781554698219
$16.95

Fifteen-year-old Zack finds a home made CD with the word Famous written on it.

Lonely and bored while suspended from school, he puts the CD on and loses himself in the music. Zack has sound-color synesthesia. He sees colors when he hears music, and the music on the Famous CD causes incredible patterns of color for him. Zack becomes obsessed with the girl on the CD and tries to find her. He tracks down the singer, Jolene, in a cafe where she works while she dreams of the big time. He convinces her to let him help her achieve her dreams, but soon discovers that in her quest for fame, Jolene has done a lot of damage. Stuff We All Get is a gentle critique of celebrity culture in North America.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! Available in French as La cache.

"A gentle, thought-provoking story on the fickle nature of fame...Denman's story avoids simplified characters, creating a surprisingly layered treatment of media obsession."

– Booklist
"Orca Currents has once again hit the mark...The setting and plot come together in a very satisfying way. The most powerful element in the text, however, is undoubtedly the emotional honesty of the characters Denman creates...Zack could be a real person, and his responses to the situations he finds himself in resonate with authenticity."
– Resource Links
"This fast-paced story is excellent for reluctant readers. Moreover, the sound-color synesthesia Zack experiences will intrigue many readers. An overall quick read that is recommended for purchase by public libraries."
– Southwestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group (SOYAMRG)
"Zack's story is engaging."
– The Horn Book Guide
"Offers reluctant readers (or those reading below the assigned grade level) an edgy, fast-paced, and thought-provoking storyline written in a very straight-forward, comprehensible style. Highly Recommended."
– CM: Canadian Review of Materials
Resource Links, The Year's Best Books   | 2011  |  Commended

Download the Stuff We All Get Teacher Guide.