The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls, real, different, great mglit

When I was teaching 8^th grade ELA I was aghast at how few students read for fun and how much work their context clues needed. Out of the approximately 108 students that I taught for a couple of months, there was one of them that read for fun. That student’s grades reflected that fact and they constantly got strong A’s on their assignments, while paying minimal attention in class. I mention this, albeit in kind of a rant, that there are an almost limitless number of books that will be great for middle school readers.

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is a book that will certainly be attractive to upper elementary through middle school audiences. It’s a curiously long title that will intrigue those readers who stand a chance at reading the book. The reason I phrase it like that is that getting middle school students to read, much less read realistic fiction is a seriously challenging task.

The book is about a broken kid, which is another reason why audiences will like it. The book starts out with the first couple of pages introducing us to Benny, a teen who gets a thrill from stealing. He says that he steals to make money, even though his mom provides for him. If he’s being honest with himself, he steals for the emotional high and thrill that it gives him. Unfortunately for him, but great for society, he’s been caught several times and has been given one final chance before jail time to take the straight road.

Benny’s mom gets the judge to sign off on an unusual punishment that will hopefully discourage his sticky fingers. He is sent to spend time with his dad, who lives with his new wife and leads a life that’s more in line with the Objibwe ways. It’s a mental boot camp where his actions, and their reactions, have immediate consequences, either on him or the local population. He quickly meets Niimi, a girl who is about his age but goes through the story wearing a lucha libre mask.

It’s here where the curious title intersects with an approachable, and age-appropriate, Northern Exposure vibe. Niimi is an odd character who often speaks in metaphors and is able to allude to things in the near future. She’s just a normal girl, who’s a little eccentric, but very smart and well-versed in the ways of the Objibwe people. Niimi is asked to help Benny sort himself out during his boot camp on the reservation. The problem for him is that there’s still stuff to steal, he’s staying with his dad who he hasn’t seen in years, his new wife, and a step-brother who stays in his room most of the time.

What middle school readers will enjoy about The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is its unique, odd, and unexpected. It’s all of these things, but it’s also very real, and getting those ages to read realistic fiction is a tricky feat indeed. Those tween and early teen readers will appreciate the fact that the book doesn’t water down Benny’s flaws, the challenges that he faces, or the difficulty of a separated family. Benny’s dad also confesses to the many mistakes he’s made in his life.

Now, just because a book isn’t all kittens, rainbows, and pizza doesn’t mean that it’s not entertaining. At a certain age, kids will start to read things that challenge them and aren’t about wizards, flying ships, or madcap humor. Just because a book doesn’t have those things does not make the book automatically boring. That’s a challenging leap for some middle school readers. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls accomplishes that bridge through its honesty and oddities.

Readers will squint their eyes because something is different than what they expect. They’ll feel the truth in the fact that doing something dangerous yields a rush of energy, but then immediately wonder why a new character is singing in a mall against a chorus of stuffed animals. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls never gets too weird or strays into territory that’s too heavy. This is realistic fiction that mglit fans will dig if they give it a chance. It’s also worth noting that the book was included in the NYPL Best Books of the Year, as well as, one of the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is by James Bird and is available on Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group.

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