Never mind! A twin novel
Never Mind by Avi and Rachel Vail, Harper Trophy Paperback, May ’05, also Scholastic Paperback
Grade level: 6-8
Scholastic Paperback $5.99
ISBN:0439799120
AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION: Avi is an award-winning, prolific writer for children and young adults. He is a twin. His web site is www.avi-writer.com
There has been a biography written about him entitled Avi by Michael A. Sommers.
Rachel Vail, a friend and fellow writer, is the co-author. She wrote a “Meg” chapter and then sent it to her friend, Avi. Avi wrote an “Edward” chapter and then sent it back to Rachel. Back and forth they wrote until the book was completed. Each writer is a talented humorist.
SYNOPSIS:
Seventh grade twins Meg and Edward Runyon live in New York City with their parents. They are as different as twelve noon and midnight. They do not have a close relationship; in fact, they attend different school even. Meg is tall, smart, and pretty, yet suffers from low self-esteem. She is full of anguish and greatly wants to be accepted into the High Achievers Club at her school. Edward is small in stature, an underachiever who attends an alternative school. His pattern of eavesdropping on Meg’s phone calls triggers a series of events which confuse each other, their parents, and their friends. Yet this series of events also highly entertains the readers.
At the height of their miscommunication, everyone at Meg’s school thinks she has a tall, gorgeous, rockstar twin brother named Ted.
GENERAL REVIEW:
Meg and Edward take turns giving their first-person narratives. Avi (who is a twin in real life) wrote the chapters spoken by Edward, and Rachel Vail wrote the chapters spoken by Meg. The voices of the twins are very realistic and so very funny. The dialogue of each of the characters prove that Avi and Rachel Vail know exactly how seventh graders speak.
THEMES: Tolerance, loyalty, jealousy, sibling rivalry
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- If you had a rock band, what would you name it? Make a list of the names you’d consider. Was “Never Mind” an appropriate name for Edward’s band?
- What are some difference between a book that’s written from the point of view of one person and a book that’s written from the point of view of two different people, such as Never Mind? How did this point of view affect you? Which twin was more likeable to you? Why?
- Why, in your opinion, is Edward so determined to embarrass his sister?
- Write a list of 10 descriptive words (adjectives) for Kimberly Wu Woodson. Would she be popular with the “in crowd” at your school? Why or why not?
ACTIVITIES: Reading Standard One, Benchmark 4
- Audiotape Meg’s chapters read by a female student. Then audiotape Edward’s chapters read by a male student. Encourage them to work on getting just the right 7 th-grade voice and attitude. If agreeable to these student readers, play back the audiotape so that the entire class can politely critique the fluency. Library Standard 5, Benchmark 1
- The events of this novel take place over one week. Create a timeline of events from the novel, Tuesday through Saturday. Display in classroom or hallway. Lib. Standard 2, Benchmark 4
- Find a city bus schedule, one from a larger city if possible. Pick out two stops., location A and location B. See if you can figure out at what time you would need to board the bus early in the morning in order to get to location B by 8:30AM. Lib. Standard 2, Benchmark 4
ADDITIONAL BOOKS WITH SIMILARITIES:
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
