Caleb is pretty proud of himself. With the help of his middle school teacher, he has written a grant for his school to purchase some topnotch gaming computers in the hopes of creating an after school eSports club. Ever since the school board was forced to cut football from the sports program there have been kids wanting something fun to do. Now they may have the chance.
When the new club is announced, Caleb is pleased to see a handful of students interested in joining what the teacher/adviser says is a test group to see if the club is a good fit for the school. Those who join may not be exactly Caleb's idea of the ideal members, but he is still excited to begin playing.
The group is honestly rather surprised when they are given the go ahead to play a role playing game called The Good War or TGW. There will be plenty of shooting and violence, but its setting of WWII is enough to gain it approval from their adviser. The players divide into Allies and Axis teams and play after school once a week. It doesn't take long for things to starting getting out of hand.
THE GOOD WAR by well-known middle grade and young adult author Todd Strasser is a short, powerful read about how easy it is for hate and racism to take control. Told from the points of view of a cast of characters, Strasser paints a picture of how individuals and their personal issues can take over common sense. I was fascinated how in less than 200 pages Strasser was able to deftly create characters who speak to the problems of today and teach an important lesson while doing so.
No comments:
Post a Comment