The Book Review with Eli Lerner

Eli: (Excited) Welcome to another wonderful evening at the The Book Report. My name is Eli Lerner and this evening we have two special guests: Fionn and Margie from the local high school, Science Leadership Academy.

Today we will be discussing the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky Hey guys welcome to the show, we are excited to have you here today!

Fionn: Thank you for having us here

Eli: How are you guys doing tonight?

Margie: I am excited to be here tonight

Fionn: Well my day has been uneventful

Eli: Fionn and Margie are two students that read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. What do you guys think about the book?

Fionn: The book is amazing!

Margie: One of the best books I’ve read so far.

Eli: Explain why both of you enjoyed it so much.

Margie: I enjoyed this book because it is written from a teenager’s perspective and some teenagers could relate to Charlie’s story. I loved how it was written, in the letter format and how the story is informal.

Fionn: I enjoyed this book because the characters were all teenagers and I could relate to this age. I also enjoyed reading all the things Charlie went through and trying to relate and comprehend the traumas he experienced.

Eli: Would you guys give us a brief summary of the book?

Margie: The book is about Charlie, a teenager that writes letters to the reader. Charlie struggled through social awkwardness, and as we find out later in the book, many experiences that clearly scarred him for life. He writes to his friend about his day, his feelings and his past

Fionn: In those letters he writes about his first days at High School and how he meets his first and only friends, Sam, Patrick, and Mary Elizabeth.

Eli: I have some questions for you about the book.

Fionn: Ok I am excited to answer in the best way I can

Margie: Sure, i’m ready

Eli: My first question is, what do you think of the plot? Did you think it was an exciting read or did you think it was underwhelming and sluggish?

Fionn: I was not expecting to read some of the stuff I read liked Charlie getting raped by his Aunt Helen. I thought it was an exciting read I thought the book was very eventful.

Margie: I think that the ending was really exciting and traumatizing. It was hard for me to understand the way Charlie was reacting to this type of experiences, but he just talks about it as a simple thing.

Eli: Do you think Charlie had a damaged childhood or life in anyway? Explain your reasoning.

Fionn: Yes, I do think that Charlie has had a damaged childhood. So many terrible things happened to him, like being raped by his Aunt, witnessing a rape, and many more traumatizing things. I just feel that these things damage a kid.  

Margie: Definitely! I think that Charlie had a tough childhood. The death of his Aunt affected him the most. He remembers her as a lovely lady and not as what she actually was. He might feel this way because at some point on the book he says that his aunt died in a car crash when she was going to buy him a birthday present. The feeling of guilt might have changed the feelings he had for his aunt.

Eli: Thank you both for coming on to the show with me tonight.

Margie and Fionn: Thank you for having us.

Eli: Later tonight we have Stan Lee on the program to talk about the evolution of the Marvel franchise.