An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Reader Response: This is a fun and quirky young adult novel that engages the reader with its humor. The main character is a "child prodigy" (Colin) who has been dumped 19 times by girls named Katherine and is taking a road trip with his overweight best friend to snap out of a funk. Along the way, Colin tries to write a mathematical equation that will predict with certainty when a couple will break up to help others avoid heartbreak. Although the plot is a little predictable, readers will be entertained throughout by the characters and writing style.

Evaluator Response: While students will likely enjoy reading Green's novel, they might not relate to it very well since the characters are older and in different life situations. Additionally, the Lexile level is technically within the range for middle grades students, but might be too complex for readers who are below grade level.

Teacher Response: For a student who really enjoyed An Abundance of Katherines, I would recommend they read one of John Green's other books. Looking for Alaska would probably be my next suggestion because it has a similar tone and style but deals with more advanced topics. Readers could ease into the more difficult subject matter, including teenage depression, with a familiar writing style and narration.

Literacy Coach Response: Teachers should ensure that students reading An Abundance of Katherines are familiar with footnotes as a stylistic tool. Students who have never read a text with footnotes, or who have only seen them used to cite sources, may be confused by Green's use of them to provide additional details to the story. Additionally, teachers will need to ensure that students are not thrown off by the use of math to the extent that they cannot follow the plot of the story. While Green does a good job of keeping it light, students with aversion to math may be confused and frustrated by how the main character discusses high level mathematical thinking.