Book Talk: Harris and Me

Harris and Me

By Gary Paulsen, Presented by Nicky Jones

 

Summary

 

This novel is based off a summer in Gary Paulsen’s life when he was young. Coming from a troubled home, the narrator (who is never named) has bounced around from home to home of distant relatives. He never forms relationships with his relatives, and he never stays in one home for long. It is 13 chapters of anecdotes chronicling his first experience on a farm dealing with animals and heavy machinery. Staying with Harris and the rest of the Larson family is a wildly hilarious adventure full of farm yard mischief and mayhem. This is a really fun story, and it’s not full of complex material. This is a great story to help get students into reading since it’s full of laugh-out-loud moments.

 

 

Rationale

 

I chose this novel because it’s such a light-hearted story. Even though the narrator is dealing with serious issues in his life, he finds real happiness with the Larson family. Paulsen writes from the heart in this novel and you can feel the narrator slowly let down his guard and allow himself to want to be a part of a family. On top of all of that, this novel is hilarious. Every time I read it, I laugh out loud. Harris and Me never gets old. This novel is great for any middle or high school student, especially one who is reluctant to read outside of school requirements.         

3 Ways to Utilize Harris and Me

 

1.      Engage reluctant readers: American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult readers. This is a good novel to entice students to read for pleasure.

2.      Study narrative styles: Paulsen’s style is very unique in this novel since he never once mentions his name or any name for the narrator. You could use one short chapter from the novel to analyze with students during a narrative unit, especially since if they are going to write a personal narrative.

3.      Character Development: The narrator changes significantly over the summer at the Larson’s farm. They aren’t obvious or instant changes either. His attitude and confidence slowly builds, and that becomes apparent in the way he handles situations and thinks about his choices with Harris as the summer progresses.

 

Obstacles

1.      Language: Harris is nine and the narrator is probably only a few years older, though his age is never specified. They both use explicit language, especially Harris. I believe this would be the biggest obstacle that would come up with this book.

2.      Content: There is nothing overly inappropriate in this book. However, there is a chapter where Harris fries his penis on an electric fence, and the narrator has naked photos of women that are always a topic of conversation for Harris and him. I don’t believe this novel has anything in it that would be considered offensive, but more conservative parents might not like the way Harris speaks and behaves.