Numbers

Gr 7 Up—Andy Crockett, otherwise known as Alamo, really likes his social studies teacher. Mr. Retzlaff is charismatic and funny, he remembers his students' names, and he makes 20th-century history engaging. At an otherwise uninteresting school dance, Mr. R even sits with Alamo and his six friends, "the seven people in the school who were least likely to win awards for brains or personality," and, in Alamo's words, "pretty much told us we were cool." But Alamo's parents and uncle and his new crush, Patti Bailer, don't seem to like Mr. R, and the protagonist isn't sure why—but it has something to do with the Holocaust. The story of Alamo's 10th-grade year includes time with friends, girl troubles, and the death of an uncle, but the underlying theme of the book is Alamo's gradual realization that his favorite teacher is an anti-Semitic Holocaust denier. When a couple of Alamo's friends ask him to come with them to burn down the house of an unpopular Jewish woman nicknamed Numbers, Alamo agrees, spurred on by the promise of greater social acceptance and the assumption that Mr. R would approve. But when they arrive at the house, Patti is there, and she shames Alamo into changing his mind. Although many of the characters lack depth and some plot points feel very contrived, this book will win some fans with its casual, conversational tone and its messages about peer pressure and prejudice.