Book Talk on John Grisham's "Theodore Boone's - The Activist"

Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham

"Theodore Boone: The Activist" by best-selling author John Grisham is the fourth novel in [a series] about a kid lawyer who solves cases and helps his friends. He's not really a lawyer, but he's the closest thing a kid will ever be to one.

The book starts slowly. The first half sets the scene for the part of the book that gets exciting. Honestly, it's kind of a slog -- but a slog that's well worth getting through. The last part of the book (a little over the last half) has enough action and excitement to make the book difficult to put down.

This book, perhaps more than the others, delves into subjects that might be confusing to middle grade readers. Pork projects or politically motivated projects are explained in detail and in a way that will open kids' eyes. In Theodore's town, the politicians want to build a multimillion dollar bypass around the town to help traffic. At the same time, the town and the county are financially strapped and are having to cut their budget, resulting in layoffs.

The bypass doesn't worry Theodore much until it becomes personal. While visiting his friend's idyllic farm, a farm that will be destroyed by the bypass, Theo's dog, Judge, is attacked by some workmen trespassing on the property in order to do a survey.

Through some digging (into confidential files), Theo realizes how corrupt the system and the people involved are. He is very concerned that his father represents one of those involved in the deal.

Grisham cleverly creates parents who disagree politically so that Theo (and the reader) hears both points of view regarding many issues. Grisham also creates a real moral dilemma for Theo. At one point in the book, Theo is tempted to do something that deep down he knows is wrong. But he also knows it will help stop the miscarriage of justice that building the bypass would be.

Help on this summary was found at [http://www.examiner.com/review/theodore-boone-the-activist-by-john-grisham-will-please-young-fans], accessed 3-3-15.

Why Did I Choose This Text?

I watch my children read.  I was excited when my daughter devoured the other three Theodore Boone books by John Grisham, my favorite author.  When she and I read this book fourth in the series, I realized that there are various ways to model this in the classroom.  Age group for this book would be 9 or 10, or can be used in upper grades for students to have a quick entry into a model of debate. 

How I Would Teach This in The Classroom:

1 – One of the biggest events of the book is when Theodore goes in front of the city council with a bunch of his friends.  A conglomerate of business owners and politicians want to bulldoze a city park where kids play.  Doing a debate in class, on an issue that causes passionate responses, would not only bring a community concern to light, but would also help students own what they are arguing.

2 – Going the route of research on subjects that relate to the students and the communities are much more relative to the students that research on a subject that students might feel no connection to.

3 – One of the biggest scenes of the book happens when Theodore and his fellow Boy Scouts are out hiking in an area where poisonous snakes are known to be.  One of the unruly boys in the group finds a snake and taunts it.  Theodore, as the patrol leader, tries to get all of the boys to stay away from the snake.  The boy is bitten; Theodore gets blames and is suspended from his leadership role.  Debating the rights and wrongs of this scene could lead to a passionate debate over perceptions of the reality of what really or did or didn’t happen.

Why Some Parents Might Not Like This Book to Be Taught:

There is very little for parents to be concerned about in this book, especially where controversial topics are concerned.  One of the first concerns that come to mind is that some parents might not like that this book isn’t part of the “literary cannon” and is by an author that is known to (usually) write popular formulaic fiction.  This issue can be cleared up though, with a detailed and friendly letter home describing exactly what the book is about.  (There is an issue in which Theodore disobeys his parents, and his actions are justified as a plot point without any real punishment…)

Why I Would Justify Teaching This Book

One of the reasons that my family has enjoyed the Theodore Boone books is that they are character driven and easy to read.  For emergent readers who still need to be able to access a subject that can be debated and used in class, this is one that can draw them in.  Some students might be a little sad that there are no “spark notes” on this book, but they should still be able to access it, because it is a fast and fun read.