This book will teach teens a lesson about taking responsibility for their actions and turning situations into positives.Īwards: Illinois: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominees: 2011, Indiana: Eliot Rosewater Award Nominees: 2011, Iowa: Teen Award Nominees: 2011, Maryland: Black-eyed Susan Award Nominees: 2010, Minnesota: Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominees: 2010, New Hampshire: Isinglass Award Nominees: 2012, Pennsylvania: Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominees: 2010, Tennessee: Volunteer State Book Award Nominees: 2010, Texas: Lone Star Reading List: 2008 It’s unfortunate, but sometimes teens do not feel remorseful for their actions. Reading Level/Interest Age: Ages 12-17/Ages 14 and upĬhallenge Issues: Underage Drinking. Reader’s Annotation: Alex’s trouble begins after getting caught drinking and driving and is sentenced to community service at a nursing home as a volunteer for Solomon Lewis, a mean and bitter old man who has nothing to offer.īooktalking Ideas: Have you read Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by the same author? Or have you read Adios, Nirvana or The Beginner’s Guide to Living? You will really enjoy this humorous tale of Alex Gregory who is going through some tough things as a teen like his parent’s divorce, first love, and the search for the meaning of life. Teens will enjoy that the author acknowledges the trials and tribulations of adolescence. It is story about the importance of belonging, love, and family. This hilarious story is engaging and fun, but provides a deep message at the end that readers can take with them. Maybe things aren’t so bad after all.Ĭritical Evaluation: Although the story revolves around a serious subject – teen drinking, the author’s light-hearted tone makes this hard lesson easier to swallow. And, he’s getting a different vibe from Laurie who may feel the same way about him. As the weeks go by and Alex is serving his time, he realizes that he and Solomon have several things in common and can each benefit from one another. Plus, he doesn’t even know if she feels the same way. In addition, Alex may or may not be in love with his best friend Laurie, but he doesn’t want their relationship to change. Alex is forced to work with a nursing home patient named Solomon Lewis who is notorious for scaring his volunteers away. Alex ended up in the hospital after hitting a garden gnome and parking the car on someone’s lawn. He will have to work off his hours at the nursing home where his mother works as punishment because he never made it over to see his father. Instead he finds himself in court sentenced to fulfill community service hours for his night of drinking and driving. One night Alex drinks a lot of vodka and decides to confront his father who he thinks is hooking up with his former third grade teacher.
Plot Summary: Alex’s parents are in the middle of a divorce. Notes From the Midnight Driver. Scholastic Inc., 2006.
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