Author: Janne Teller and translated by Martin Aitken
Title:Nothing, (Intet)
Illustrator: None
Genre: Chapter Book
Subgenre: Fiction
Theme: Life’s Purpose
Primary and Secondary Characters: Pierre Anthon, Agnes, Elise, Ole
Awards: Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Publishing Company: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 2010
Brief Summary and How to Use With Students:
On the first day of seventh grade Pierre Anthon realizes that nothing matters. He stands up, leaves and starts spending his days sitting in a plum tree. From the tree he begins ranting to his former classmates about the meaningless of everything. "Everything begins just in order to end. The moment you were born you began to die, and that goes for everything else as well." Pierre Anthon shouts and continues: "The whole thing is just one immense play which is about pretending and about being best at exactly that." His classmates become displeased and furious. In order to challenge Pierre’s view, each of his former classmates forces one another to give up something that has value to them. His classmates bring items such as boxing gloves, a bicycle, and a Danish flag. As the story continues though, the items start to become more sinister such as the coffin with Elise’s little brother, a finger, and the head of a dog. This continues until the adults catch on and the media creates frenzy over the pile. The children are not punished and the pile ends up being declared a work of art which the students end up sailing. When Pierre confronts his former classmates about the pile he raises the idea to them though that if their heap of junk did matter to them, then why did they let it go? This causes the children to become infuriated and they beat Pierre to death and set a barn on fire to make it seem like an accident.
When I first picked this book to read I never imagined it would have been so cynical and disturbing. It still was very interesting with a unique but predictable plot. This book certainly would not be suitable for any form of assigned reading material in a school setting though. In a high school setting it may be able to be offered with parental consent but even then it would be pushing it due to its graphic content. If I was given the choice again I would have been more cautious when selecting my book choice. With that being said, I do like what the Mildred L. Batchelder Award represents and stands for. When teaching you can select an age appropriate book for students to read to get a better idea of what life is like in other parts of the world and other cultures. This book for example was first written in Dutch and is set in Denmark. You could then go over the history and beliefs of that country.
