Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

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Recommended by Natalie Lewis (@tillybeanlopez)

Form and genre: Adventure/Science fiction- written in diary form

Length: 311 pages

Summary:

Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper, and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes until an experiment turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

 A wonderful message to society that we shouldn’t be measured on how smart or intelligent we are but by how kind and loving we are.

Age recommendation and challenging content:  Year 7/8.

Notable reasons for recommending this book: Flowers for Algernon opens up many debates about experimental science, how we treat others in society.