Title: 95 Pounds of Hope
Author: Anna Gavalda
Illustrator: N/A
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.4
Lexile Measure: 640L
Genre: Children's Literature
Subgenre: Realistic Fiction
Theme: Never give up on yourself.
Primary and Secondary Characters: Gregory, Grandpa Leon, Grandma Charlotte, Gregory's mother and father
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2003Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN: 0670036722
95 Pounds of Hope follows Gregory on his journey through school and through life. Gregory is having a pretty rough go of it. He is not doing well in school, not even a little bit. He has been held back twice—once in third grade and a second time in sixth grade. His parents constantly fight and argue with each other and with him. They tell him that he and his bad grades and lack of determination are the reason they fight and yell all the time. And on top of all that, doctors have diagnosed him with ADD, which he thinks is bologna since he doesn’t have a problem concentrating on anything other than school. But Gregory has a talent. He can build just about anything he sets his mind to. And his grandfather, Grandpa Leon, is the one person who stands behind him no matter what. His favorite place in the world is in Grandpa Leon’s workshop. The time comes for school to start back—a time Gregory is dreading—but because he has been expelled so many times, no school in the area will take him, and the one that finally does is a horrible school. The teachers don’t care about homework, students get mugged on a regular basis, and groups of students sneak outside during school hours to smoke marijuana. Gregory’s mother decides she and her husband cannot let their son go to this school so they go for the only available option they have left—boarding school. They allow Gregory to choose the one he wants to attend, which just so happens to be a technical school with a lot of hands-on classes. Before Gregory leaves to attend the school, he gets some bad news: Grandpa Leon has fallen ill and is in the hospital. Knowing that his grandfather is struggling just to live gives Gregory renewed determination at school. He even successfully completes the rope climb in gym class, something he has never done before. He decides that he needs to turn over a new leave and becomes more focused and determined in his efforts. That is, until he learns that Grandpa Leon has taken a turn for the worse and fallen into a coma.
This book would be great for students to read in a literature circle. It does contain some profanity and other language so it would only be suitable for mature, older students; fifth or sixth grade. But the content is very on task with what students at this age are going through, making it interesting and relatable for young readers. Problems with bickering parents, trouble at school, and grandparents getting sick are some of the biggest problems faced by pre-teens. Having a book that covers all of these on their level would be beneficial for them to read and discuss among themselves in a literature circle-type environment.
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