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Petey


by Ben Mikaelsen

List Price: $5.99
Available: Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank: 46248
Studio: Hyperion Book CH
Binding: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: April 03, 2000
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 73 reviews)

Petey  
My son needed this book for his summer reading, it came fast! he really enjoyed the book too. great lesson.
September 01, 2008

Know this  
This is a superb book written about a real person. I had wished that I knew all of the story beforehand. I had always walked past "Petey" on my way to class. This book is written for children, yet is a must read for everyone. It's a real eyeopener!
February 28, 2008

Moving and Powerful  
I read many books in the course of a year, but this was definitely among the best this year. The author did a fine job putting himself into the mind of Petey, sharing with readers what it's like to be locked away inside oneself as the result of an often misunderstood mental illness. Readers can't help but like Petey and want desperately for at least one character in the book to remain by his side. This book is a well-written eye-opener concerning human nature and the unvarnished reactions many of us have to those who are different from the mainstream population. This is a YA novel full of heart and lessons to carry forward. A must read.
December 23, 2007

You've Gotta Read This!! Wonderful for all Ages  
I work as an aide for kids with special needs and a librarian recommended this to me. I feel this quick read (elementary school level)is a MUST READ for anyone going into the special education field. Beyond that, I feel that it should be a classic group reading activity for upper elementary school kids. It's a wonderful story and it really makes you think. Acceptance & Understanding are lessons well learned. Joanna K-V, Author A IS FOR AUTISM, F IS FOR FRIEND
August 19, 2007

Mental Institution Life  
Petey was born in the 1920s, in a time when cerebral palsy wasn't well understood in the United States. Because his body was deformed, he couldn't walk and he was difficult to understand, people misunderstood him. His family's doctor pronounced him an idiot and told his parents that there was no hope for him ever to live any sort of life. After two years of hardship and financial worry, his parents put him into a mental hospital and never saw him again.

Most people at the institution believe that Petey has no mental capacity at all, although in reality he is very much aware of what is going on around him. A handful of people over the years, though, are able to see beyond Petey's deformed exterior to the person beneath. Some attendants at the institution are nice to him and make an effort to understand what he is trying to say. He eventually makes a friend, too. Calvin is a couple of years younger than he is and also a patient at the institution, and for years, until Calvin gets moved into a different institution, the two are inseparable.

When he is in his seventies, Petey meets a teenaged boy who has just moved into town. Over time, the two become friends and Petey realizes again his power to change a life, while the boy learns how to give people a chance without judging them.

It was interesting to read about how mental institutions are run, and it was refreshing to read a book about a mental institution that didn't revolve around the patients being abused. However, it seemed that with just a little bit more effort everyone could have understood Petey. There were plenty of people over the years who knew he wasn't really mentally deficient and they should have been able to make others see.
July 03, 2007


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