| BASIC INFO | LANGUAGE LEVEL | COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES |
|---|---|---|
| Book Title Neue Schule, neue Freunde(New School, New Friends) Author(s) Eric Richards Illustrator(s) Lea Ribbing Other Contributors Edited by Cathleen Weigelt-Ferguson and Angelika Weigelt Cover picture by Antonio Diaz Published by Self-Published Genre Realistic Fiction Publication date 2017 (3rd edition) #Ownvoices N/A | From the author/publisher’s website Level Level 1 Total Word Count 4,735 total words in present tense | Illustrations YES Glossary YES Guiding Questions YES Context NO Other |
| IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT | SYNOPSIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities White Austrian German Italian Languages spoken German A phrase in Italian Sex and Genders Male Female Ages Teenager: 13-18 Social classes Unclear | Sexual Orientation Heterosexual (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes None mentioned in text Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality Christian Muslim Family and Relationship Structures Married heteroparental family Divorced heteroparental family Body Descriptions Descriptions of characters’ hair and eye colors (pp. 13, 15, 28) Felix is tall and strong (p. 150) | From the author/publisher’s website Anton just moved to Berlin. He is new in school and doesn’t know anyone. He has a problem. Who can help him? He sees Heidi, a girl from biology class. He is nervous, but he walks over and asks her for help. With Heidi’s help and friendship, Anton adjusts to his new school. As he meets new classmates, he is befriended by Felix and Lena, but what are their true intentions? As their relationships grow and change, Anton and his new friends face new realities and challenging decisions. |
| ILLUSTRATIONS | STORY | SOCIAL JUSTICE |
|---|---|---|
| To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The illustrations mostly show objects and locations in the characters’ lives, such as cell phones, sports shoes, parks, and desks. The one close-up image of the characters shows a female character giving a male character a kiss on the cheek (p. 21). Neither of the characters’ eyes are visible in the image. Only three of the illustrations depict humans, and all are depicted in silhouette form. | We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text? No | This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. Does this text work toward goals within any of the four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)? N/A |
| LLLAB’s REVIEW |
|---|
| Neue Schule, neue Freunde tells the story of Anton as he navigates being the new student at a school in Berlin, Germany. Anton has moved from Salzburg, Austria after the divorce of his parents, and is now trying to find new friends. He befriends a girl named Heidi as well as a boy named Felix. Lena, a friend of Felix, grows jealous seeing Anton and Heidi talking, so she devises a plan to distract them from each other, hoping to spark a romantic relationship with Anton for herself and with Heidi for Felix. Along the way, the characters get to know each other better, and question their motivations and new friendships. The relationship between Heidi and Anton develops very organically through conversations and shared experiences. The pair meet for the first time when Anton asks Heidi where to find a vending machine at the school, and she helps him find it (pp. 1-2). After Heidi realizes she would like to spend more time with Anton, she initiates a visit to a café together one day after school (p. 16). At the café, the two discuss family and school life (p. 30), and Anton discloses that his parents are divorced, with his father still living in Salzburg while Anton lives in Berlin with his mother and brother (p. 32). Equal space is given throughout the story to descriptions of the boys’ and girls’ hobbies. When introducing each character, their physical appearance is described, as well as two to three of their hobbies. When Anton notices that another student, Frank, has “a small accent,” his first question is, “Und woher kommst du?” / And where are you from? (p. 24). Frank also says that his name is actually Francesco, but everyone just calls him Frank. It is not clear whether this nickname serves the social ease and comfort of his peers, or reflects his own preference. In discussing his school experience, Anton mentions that other students at his school say that he has a “funny dialect” (ostensibly because he is from Austria), but that his peers are still really nice (p. 32). Teachers may wish to draw attention to how the characters in the book may unintentionally or intentionally “other” their peers by drawing attention to their “different” accents. In the book, relationships are treated like competitions to be won at any cost versus placing emphasis on the development of meaningful connections. To win the “game” of dating, Lena plans to get Anton and Heidi’s phone numbers via deceits, and then give the numbers to interested romantic partners without their consent or knowledge (p. 4). Later, Anton agrees to go to a party that Lena will be attending, and hopes that Heidi “won’t be mad” that he will attending as well (p. 35). Teachers may wish to discuss how to develop healthy relationships that show mutual respect to partners without treating them like prizes. In the story, the character Lena uses a series of deceptions and manipulations to get what she wants. Lena gets Felix to agree that they will each get a phone number for the other through deceits in new friendships (p. 4). She also is suspected of having stolen Anton’s biology notebook to create an opportunity to talk to him (p. 13). After Lena overhears about Anton and Heidi’s café date, she concocts a plan with Felix for them to both “happen to” be at the café at the same time (pp. 18-19). After she convinces Felix to agree, she gives him a kiss on the cheek, which leaves him stuttering (p. 21). These depictions of Lena’s behavior may reinforce stereotypes of girls as “cunning and dramatic” in their pursuit of romantic partners, and teachers may wish to draw attention to the nature of Lena’s behaviors. Lena and Heidi seem to equate consumer status symbols with attractiveness and popularity. Heidi does so when thinking about Lena’s “nice clothes” (p. 26) and Lena does similarly when thinking about Felix’s “cool” BMW car (p. 36). |
LLLAB 