Books like Stand Tall

Tree, whose name is actually Sam, is the tallest 7th grader in his class. Actually he's the tallest person in his entire school and he just seems to keep growing. While dealing with his parents' recent divorce, Tree works with his grandfather--helping him with his rehabilitation after having his leg amputated due to an injury he sustained in Vietnam. When Sophie, the strange new girl at school stands up to some popular girls, Tree realizes that he has to stand up for himself too, at home, at school and on the basketball team.Caught in the middle of his parents' epic battle while struggling to deal with his own freakish abnormality, Tree draws strength and courage from his grandfather, his new friend Sohpie and even his aging dog Bradley. When catastrophe strikes his hometown, Tree might be the only one big enough to make a difference.I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved Tree and his heart was even bigger than his height. I loved the discussion of his parents' attempts to provide a "normal" life for Tree despite their divorce and I loved Tree's relationship with his grandfather and the infinite wisdom his grandfather frequently shared with him. Also, Stand Tall has several quotable passages and Tree's school report on his grandfather is beautiful. However, the third person omniscent point of view threw the story off and made it hard to connect with Tree. Some of the symbolism goes a touch too far but that's a Jan Bauer specialty and from a teaching standpoint this is probably a positive for young adult readers. Since the perspective is primarily male, this would be a great read for both male and female young adults.