My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner – Book Review
 |
Title: My Life as a Potato Author: Arianne Costner Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Release Date: March 24, 2020  |
Ben Hardy is the new kid. His recent move from California to Idaho is exactly what a person could imagine it to be– a shock and an adjustment. It is also a great opportunity. However, Ben’s potato curse follows him to the Potato State, and his chance to define himself before others do it for him is complicated by a hot dog throwing incident. Soon after, Ben must assume the responsibility of being the school’s mascot, Steve the Spud. As he tries to juggle his secret mascot identity, newfound popularity at school, and changing friendships, he realizes what really matters. He can only hope it isn’t too late!
Arianne Costner’s My Life as a Potato is a fun, feel-good novel. It contains common themes in middle school literature, such as identity, friendship, and the power of choices, which will make the story relatable to all that read it. The secret mascot responsibilities do stand out from other middle grade novels while putting a unique spin on Ben’s struggles. Through those struggles, My Life as a Potato captures a broad look at middle school life’s minutiae. Unfortunately, the expansive scope sacrifices depth as a result. Is this decision a bad thing? Not at all! The middle grades genre is flooded with books that tackle hard topics and challenging themes. Costner’s My Life as a Potato is a light-hearted antidote for those that need a sunnier breath of fresh air. Students will connect with Ben and his struggles, making the novel a good read for those looking for an amusing weekend read.
Classroom Applications
- STEM Fun – Teach the novel in conjunction with fun STEM activities or science labs with potatoes.
- Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading about themes of friendship, school, and sports mascots.
Nonfiction Connections
The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.
- Potatoes
- Mascots
Book Companions
The following are great books to pair with My Life as a Potato. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Series) by Jeff Kinney (Character Connections, Themes)
- Stu Truly by Dan Richards (Character Connections, Themes)
- Sideway Stories from Wayside School (Series) by Louis Sachar (Character Connections)
*LIT Lessons participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.
More Blog Posts
It’s time for the annual LIT Lessons Novel Study Giveaway! Year-over-year students grow and change, and those changes are often most pronounced when a new school year begins. It’s a fresh start and a restart. The message of Restart by Gordon Korman captures the spirit of new beginnings, evolving identity, and the universal experience of growing older.
Many ELA question stem resources provide vague sentence starters or surface level prompts to encourage students to engage with a text. Oftentimes, these resources lack true depth and rigor, which means students are not being adequately challenged to critically think about a text.
Middle grades historical fiction novels have come a long way from the books available ‘decades’ ago. In fact, this growing genre is now bursting with fantastic, inspiring, and insightful novels. It comes as no surprise that these books are finding their way into middle school ELA curricula…
