Period 8

Crutcher, C. (2013). Period 8. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. Paul (Paulie) Baum confesses to his girlfriend Hannah that he has cheated on her. They, along with other friends including Mary (Virgin Mary) Wells, Arney Stacks and Kylie all take Period 8 together. This class is a sort of relaxed, advisory period where students talk about things that concern them. Although the break up between Paulie and Hannah had been the topic of conversation in Period 8, reasons for disappearance of Mary became a hotter topic and also the random outbursts and unusual behavior of Kylie were discussed as well. Through a series of horrific events, it was discovered that the student body president, Arney had been making deals with prominent men in the community. He would influence his young, unsuspecting female classmates to have sex with the men. Arney had even put Mary up to seducing Paulie which led to the breakup of Paulie and Hannah. Period 8 is a great book for students in grades 7 and up. I believe this book exudes the type of drama that would intrigue this age group. It’s packed with suspense and is a definite page turner. For further reading I would suggest Second Impact by David Klass. Period 8 definitely meets criteria for Kohlberg’s moral development. The initial conflict with Paulie and his girlfriend proves this when he confesses to her. And then we find out about Arney’s secrets. These experiences could help drive home the point of moral conflicts.