Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

• Genre: Fiction; Middle Grade; Realistic Fiction
• Originally Published: 2004
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 940L; grades 5-8
• Structure/Length: 23 chapters; approximately 304 pages; approximately 4 hours and 31 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Eighth-grader Steven Alper, a talented drummer who has a crush on the hottest girl in school, must navigate the challenges of middle school while coming to terms with his little brother's leukemia diagnosis.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Childhood cancer; hospital scenes; emotional distress; sibling conflict

Jordan Sonnenblick, Author

• Bio: Born 1969; American author of young adult fiction; former middle school English teacher; known for his realistic and often humorous portrayals of adolescence; addresses complex themes of family, illness, and personal growth in his work.
• Other Works: Notes from the Midnight Driver (2006); After Ever After (2010); Zen and the Art of Faking It (2007); The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade (2017)
• Awards: Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award (2009); Grand Canyon Reader Award (2009); Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (2008); Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award (2008); Isinglass Teen Read Award (2008); Black-Eyed Susan Award (2007)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Resilience in the Face of Adversity
• The Importance of Family
• Coming of Age

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the literary and sociological contexts regarding the difficulties of navigating teenage life during the onset of a family member’s chronic illness, which is exemplified by the protagonist’s central conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Resilience in the Face of Adversity, The Importance of Family, and Coming of Age.
• Draft and present a creative writing piece in the form of a graduation speech that demonstrates an understanding of characterization, based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding resilience, family, personal growth, and other topics.