Bibliographic information

Chbosky, S. (1999). The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York, Pocket Books.

Genre: Young Adult
Suggested Grade Level: 9-12

Response to the book:
Being a mother of two teenage girls, this book was a little difficult for my heart to read. I have a daughter that deals with anxiety and depression, so Charlie’s letters made me anxious. I was grateful that he uncovered why he was anxious and depressed. It broke my heart to find out that the person he loved most in his life was the one who broke him. The entire book I was waiting for him to send a suicide note. Charlie always seemed to be in a hurry to let you know what happened, so I felt like I was listening to my nephew, who has Asperger’s Syndrome. He was innocent and wanted desperately to have friends and belong in the world. It is a book that is very honest and extremely well written from the perspective of a shy teen.

This book is set in Pittsburg, Pensylvania in the 1990’s. It is the story of Charlie who is writing letters to you, the reader. He is the youngest of three children in a traditional family. In his letters you can hear the symptoms of anxiety and depression. In eighth grade, he is devastated by the suicide of his friend, Michael. He struggles his first weeks of high school until he meets Patrick and Sam, two siblings that are not afraid of his quirkiness and that help him steer through some of the difficulties of being a teen. They expose him to typical teen behaviors like drinking, drugs and sex. They also help him navigate through those experiences. These experiences help him to figure out why he has mental issues; his aunt, who he loved and adored, molested him. This is also a book of survival because he lets the readers know he got help and is ok and that there are many people struggling with mantal issues that are surviving everyday!

Lesson Plan:

After reading the book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, the students will be able to create a playlist to recreate a special time in their life independently.

Lesson Ideas:

Students will create a “mixed tape” or playlist to recreate a special time in their life. They will then write what the songs mean and why they were selected.

Students will keep a journal for a month and discuss what it was like to reflect and write about their daily lives.

Discussion questions:
Who did you identify with most in the book? Why?
Why is it important to have a support system?

Outside Resources:

https://selfdiscoveryinart.weebly.com/daily-lesson-plans.html

https://www.gradesaver.com/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower/lesson-plan/1/classroom-activities