Book Tournament – Round 2 The Power of Un vs. Rules
Judges – Erica and Stacy Barnett
The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy
The Power of Un is focused around Gib Finney who was just an average Middle-Schooler when a strange old man approaches him in the woods and gives him a mysterious device. This device, called the “Unner” has the power to erase mistakes by going back in time to give a person the opportunity to make different decisions.
After a terrible accident, Gib finds himself in a tricky situation. He must decide which events to undo in order to avoid the disaster. What he finds, is that some things happen for a reason, and some things can’t be changed at all.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Rules is written in the perspective of 12-year-old Catherine whose little brother, David, is autistic. Catherine makes a list of rules for David to follow to keep from embarrassing her, such as “chew with your mouth closed” or “if someone says ‘hi’, you say ‘hi’ back.” While at therapy with David, Catherine meets Jason who becomes an unlikely friend. Her friendship with Jason interferes with her developing a friendship with Kristi, the new neighbor, in a way that surprises even Catherine.
Our decision is…
We have chosen The Power of Un to move on to round three. We chose this book because, although we both enjoyed Rules, we felt The Power of Un would appeal to more people. We thought it had more action and humor, which we believe most judges would enjoy. It was entertaining and also leaves you with a good message in the end.
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