Thunder Boy Jr.
By Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Little, Brown and Company, 2016.
Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad. But he doesn’t like his name. They call his dad Big Thunder. And they call him Little Thunder and according to him “that nickname makes me sound like a burp or a fart.” Really, he wants his own name that is unique to him. The book then goes on to explain all the different things about Thunder Boy Jr. that are special about him and that he wouldn’t mind being named about. For example, because he can climb mountains he could be “Touch the Clouds”. Or because he likes playing with his dog he could be named “Can’t Run Fast While Laughing.” There are so many things that make Thunder Boy Jr. exceptional that he would rather be named because of those things.
Of course this book has a Fabulous Finish where Thunder Boy and his father come to an understanding…but it is fun to see what happens (and then to read the book again to see how the ending wasn’t as sudden as it perhaps seemed in the first reading). This is a good book with a family that cares about each other and what makes each individual family member important. This is a great book for any family to read together.
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