Weslandia

This is a smile and laugh out loud book. Wesley certainly does not fit the mold as a "normal" young adult. While he runs away from the bullies, he also has a wonderful self concept that enables him to hold on to the wonderful things that others call abnormal.

When school is out and summer approaches, Wesley decides to build his own garden. As the flowers grow to high levels, he smiles and decides to create his own civilization including a unique language, clothing, food, and anything else that he can credit as a differently and unique.

When the bullies realize they cannot change him, they watch him closely, and decide they might benefit from his teachings.
Soon, they become part of his civilization so that by the time school rolls around show more again, they all walk , talk, play their own games, and they dress differently.

This is a well-deserved Newberry Medal Award winner

The reader cannot help but admire Wesley. show less

An outcast boy named Wesley spends his summer vacation creating his own civilization in his backyard by cultivating an amazing plant that meets all his needs. In the end, he wins the respect and admiration of his peers.

I couldn't possibly love Wes more. More than just a story of one misfit's journey, Weslandia offers a commentary how knowledge is acquired. Wes decides to use what he knows. In a sense that knowledge "from the books" is also a seed. Then Wes takes real seeds, grows them and creatively engineers "tools" of civilization. I worship the genius of Fleischman who uses these tools to connect Wes to his tormentors.

#afleischmanfanaticisborn

Not sure where I heard about this book but I have to imagine maybe on one of the Waldorf mama blogs I read. This was a great read - pretty earthy. About Wesley's summer vacation. This kid loves learning and is not so popular. He decides to plant some seed and start a civilization. Fun way to relay what goes in to creating and defining a civilization (food, language, traditions, living etc.). Good read for those who like creating, gardening, an adventurous spirit, and an underdog to cheer for!

Wesley is a bit of an outcast from civilization. Not that he really minds. He just goes down his own personal inquiry path and take what he's learned in school and apply it to his summer project -- to found his own civilization, based upon his own staple food crop. A new weed appears in his yard, and it's exactly what he needs -- providing a new and unknown source of food, fiber for fabric, clothing, oil for suntan lotion and insect repellent, time piece (sundial made from stalk), counting system (based on the plant's eight petals), and domain name (Weslandia). He makes up his own sports, names for constellations, musical instruments, and language (written down in his own ink and alphabet). By the time school starts up again, Wesley show more "had no shortage of friends". The End. Absolutely brilliant. show less

Wesley really does march to the beat of his own drummer, and he's happy doing it.

Pity he's stuck in the doldrums of conformist suburbia. Even his parents aren't happy with a quiet, studious kid who doesn't get into trouble - they keep bribing him to wear the idiotic fashions and hairstyles of his classmates instead!

Wesley's not very popular, actually, which is a pity because he's really a pretty awesome kid. For his summer project he decides to start his own civilization. By an amazing coincidence, the staple crop he accidentally grows turns out to be a real staple - he can use that plant to make fabric, sunscreen, insect repellent, ink... everything he needs!

A little unbelievably, his quiet nonconformist nature is finally accepted by show more his peers and they all join his society in the end, which is really what a lot of unpopular kids would like. show less

I love this book because it's a boy book! Girls tend to be the readers, and so many books are tailored to them. Weslandia is a really 'special' story about an underdog boy who gathers what he knows about civilizations, and decides to make his own. Teachers can teach about historic civilizations and attributes associated with them!