Probably Still Nick Swansen by Virginia Euwer Wolff (1-Oct-2002) Paperback

by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Nick Swansen pretty much knows what it means to be Special You can't drive, even if you're sixteen and your parents have two cars; the regular kids in school don't talk to you much; and even if you can memorize every fact about amphibians, it's hard to make sense of all the other stuff swirling in your mind. What he doesn't know is whether being Special Ed. means you shouldn't go to the prom. But since no rule says you can't, Nick decides to ask Shana. But the prom doesn't turn out at all the way Nick expects it to, and everything bad seems to get all mixed up the prom, what Shana does, and the terrible thing that happened to Nick's sister nine years ago. Nick doesn't want to think about any of it, but he begins to realize that unless he makes peace with all the memories that trouble him, they will haunt him forever....

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

On August 25th, Virginia Euwer Wolff was born in Portland, Oregon. Her family lived on an apple and pear orchard near Mount Hood. Her father died when she was five years old and she admits her childhood was pretty messed up, but she held things together with her violin. She graduated from Smith College. She raised a son and daughter before going back to teaching high school English.
She was almost fifty years old when she started writing children books. Virginia thought she might have one or two good books in her before the end but that was proven wrong. Today, she is no longer teaching, but writes full-time.

When Wolff was asked why she writes for kids and not grown-ups, She responded, "Because I don't think I have a handle on how to write for grown-ups. The grown-up publishing world is so fraught with one-upsmanship, scorn and snobbery. I did write an adult novel. Thank goodness it went out of print. I think we kids' authors still start out with hope every morning. We honor our audience."

Ms. Wolff has received many awards for her works, which include the Golden Kite Award for Fiction for her book Make Lemonade, the ALA Notable Book for Children for The Mozart Season and many, many others.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/virgin...

Reviews

[Rizal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special ed (probably a slow learner) kid named Nick Swansen who lost his sister when he was young. He met Shana who used to be in his class but transferred to regular class. Nick asked her to go to prom but got stood up. Later, he knew the real reason why he got stood up by Shana.

I really loved the characters voices in this book (both by Nick and Shana) because they enlightened you on how both of these characters react to the surrounding as special kids and what they felt.

I enjoyed this book.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but couldn't help to think how much better it would have been if it would have been written in stream-of-conscious like her books in the Make Lemonade trilogy. It would have been very challenging to write since Nick is "special ed". Wolff did a great job getting in Nick's head and telling his story though. This is one of Wolff's first books and you can tell that she has developed as a writer. I have two more of her books that I want to read this week.

[Kerstyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book originally published in 1988, it didn't read nearly as old as it is. As many other reviews have mentioned, Nick's voice is true and engaging. This books acts as an open invitation to relate and to put yourself in another pair of shoes, which I think is one of the most important things we can ask of a middle grade novel. Loved it.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've seen this writer do amazing things. This book is anything but amazing. The writing is terrible and the characters are only half thought out.

[Kevin Villanueva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was very intriguing. I felt like I was in the story and felt very attached to Nick. I wanted to see him succeed and get the girl of his dream. Even though he was a special Ed student he still seemed very smart. This was an amazing read.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting point of view. Relevant situations, but words are used about learning capabilities that would not be acceptable in today’s culture. Definitely worth a read

[Dakota Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories like this are very important. As someone with special needs loved ones, I highly recommend this book.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read it a few years ago and gave it to my teenage son who liked it (but not as much as I did), then I reread it recently and still loved it. Just writing this review makes me want to go read it again. (It's a short book, wouldn't take long.)

I love all her books. She has such compassion for her characters and she tells their stories with a dignified sort of gravity. The people and situations and individual lines of text resonate with me long after I'm done reading them.

Nick's character, and the gap between how he tells his story and how the reader reads it, particularly moved me. If you liked The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, you'll probably like this, too.

[The Cute Little Brown-haired girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written by my high school Advanced Placement English teacher. (Notice the name!!) She is a prolific author of many more books and writes mainly for young audiences that are mature enough to graple with more adult themes. This book is about a retarded boy, written in his voice, and how he goes through school, family, friends, and even a girlfriend! It is heartwarming and a bit of a tear-jerker. It makes you think about how this population gets through a single day--and how mentally retarded people are really not that different from the rest of us.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in first person, it's an interesting view into the mind of a special Ed student. Wolff depicts the struggle of a boy whose sister drowned and he misses her, all the while trying to get over a former classmate (now mainstreamed) who stands him up at the prom. He struggles with his understanding of the world around him and what he knows other students may think of him due to his being in a Special Ed class.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very impressed with Wolff. This was the only book of hers I'd not yet read, and it's every bit as good as her others. Nick, who has minimal brain dysfunction, is a very sympathetic and winsome character. All the characters are fleshed out, believable, and the plot pulls one along. Perhaps not her strongest book, but certainly worth reading.

[Brandon Rosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about a teenager who is special ed. He is being mistreated by other kids and he tries to act cool so other kids would talk to him.
I think Nick should fallow his heart and try to tell his feeling to Shana. He should just ask her to go with him to the prom, he has to give it a shot, he has known her for three years.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5. I've read other things written by Virginia Euwer Wolff and enjoyed it all. She always tackles harder more uncomfortable themes and I hope my girls will read this one when they get a little bit older.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book attempted to create a connection to the mind of a mild/moderate disability enabled student. I loved the connection to the family and the school and how they are all related. I laughed and cried and hoped and prayed for success. What a great book.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing starts out a bit like baby-talk, so I wonder whether teens would get past that to the meat of the story. The special education treatment is also a bit outdated. The plot was good with strong character development.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's really important that special ed teachers read this. Kids like Nick just think in a different way, and the author captures this difference beautifully.

[Cws]

JAR6+-Wol

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A semi-sad book about a learning disabled teenage boy's high school experiences.

[PEN Center USA · Rating 5 out of 5]

1989 PEN Center USA Award Winner for Young Adult Literature

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, but nothing to write home about.