Book Review: Mick Harte was Here
Mick Harte Was Here is a short novel for middle school students. It is primarily the story of a family's struggle to deal with grief. The helmet connection is that the grief is for a dead brother and son who died in a crash without a helmet.
Nick's sister Phoebe narrates the story. She sets the scene, introduces the crash, and then spends most of the book in memories of her brother, some hilarious, some serious. These are interspersed with scenes of the family--mother, father and Phoebe--attempting to deal with their loss.
Author Barbara Park has done such a fine job that this book will appeal to a much wider range of readers than just middle school. The memories of Nick are warm and readable. Even an adult will find it hard to put this book down. The helmet message is clear and has impact, but the book does not preach to the reader.
Nick Harte Was Here was published by Scholastic in 1996. It is 85 pages long in 8x5 inch format. The back cover says "Only available for distribution through the school market." Check this link to find a copy and more reviews on Amazon.com.
Teaching Aids Available
The California Department of Health Services has produced just what you need to use Mick Harte was Here as a teaching tool. You can download Ideas for Using Mick Harte Was Here as a Promotional Tool - and the Teacher's Guide for using Mick Harte Was Here in the classroom from their bicycle program page.
This page was last revised on: October 16, 2005.
Contact us.
|