Sunday, March 8, 2020

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Title: And We Stay
Author: Jenny Hubbard
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Format: eBook
Price: $4.99
Page Count: 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9780375899430

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)
Lexile: 810
Interest Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)

Annotation: After Emily's boyfriend shot himself in the school library, her family sends her to boarding school where she continues to write poetry and heal.

Plot and Content Summary: Set in 1995, Emily transfers to a boarding school halfway through the school year. With her, she brings a lot of baggage: her boyfriend Paul committed suicide after she was forced to break up with him and get an abortion. To tune in to her emotions and confront her memories, she writes poetry inspired by Emily Dickinson. As the story progresses, we get small flashbacks of her and Paul.

Evaluation: Emily's story is told in a very poetic way, reflective of how our main character connects with her emotions. While we know what happened to Paul from the beginning, there are a lot of missing details that readers will be eager to discover. As we are given snippets, going back and forth from Emily's past to Emily's present, we see how she uses poetry to be vulnerable. When her roommate comes across part of her life, she is able to understand Emily a lot more. Although And We Stay was fairly interesting, for the most part, it was difficult to connect with Emily. She wrote about Paul in her poems, but I still am not sure how she feels about their situation. This was not a terrible book, but it is easily forgettable.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Emily is dealing with grief and she uses a form of art to convey her feelings. For teens who are going through something similar, this could be something to turn to if speaking out loud is difficult. Sometimes, we have emotions that we do not know how to explain, and maybe something else can describe it better—if not poetry, then music, lyrics, painting, etc.

Issues Present: If And We Stay was challenged, it would probably be due to suicide and abortion—two topics we cannot ignore. Books that deal with difficult issues can show readers they are not alone in feeling this way. Although there is not much discussion about Paul's suicide in And We Stay, teens may still connect with how he felt in the situation and want to talk about it. Additionally, it can also be a new perspective for teens, and they may notice this behavior in their peers. If so, it can alert them so they can hopefully help others.

Book Talk Ideas: "Oh, yes, she could feel it / even though the bullet / had never stabbed her skin. / The bright white heat / burned at her core / where two lives beat, and if he'd aimed / there and pulled the trigger, / red would have crested / like a broken dam / over her hands / as her last word rushed / up to her throat—Paul— / a sound that took no time / and also lifetimes." (p. 39)

  • How does Emily use poetry to deal with her grief? (p. 39, 77, 137)
  • Discuss Paul and Emily's relationship. Was it a healthy one?
  • What is the correlation between Emily, our main character, and Emily Dickinson?

Genre/Subgenres: Realistic fiction

Readalikes: Smoke by Ellen Hopkins, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez, Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

References
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Saturday, March 7, 2020

The Art of Losing by Lizzy Mason

Title: The Art of Losing
Author: Lizzy Mason
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: February 19, 2019

Format: Hardcover
Price: $18.99
Page Count: 336 pages
ISBN-13: 9781616959876

Reading Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)
Interest Level: Grades 9 and up (ages 14+)

Annotation: Harley's younger sister, Audrey, ends up in a coma after her boyfriend drove drunk and got into an accident, but she has no idea how to feel because she caught them together at a party.

Plot and Content Summary: Harley finds her younger sister, Audrey, and her boyfriend, Mike, together at a party, so she leaves in anger. Hoping to make matters right, Mike drives Audrey home—while he is drunk—and ends up in an accident, leaving Audrey in a coma. Mike comes out unharmed, and is unwilling to admit he has a drinking problem. At the same time, Harley reconnects with her neighbor, Raf, who has recently come out of rehab for alcohol and substance abuse, but still has a lot to come to terms with.

Evaluation: The Art of Losing was not only a book about sisters and forgiveness, but it also excellently tackles the reality and difficulties of alcoholism and addiction. Harley reconnects with Raf while she is grieving, and finds out that he, like Mike, is struggling with substance abuse. The difference with him, however, is that he is actually working to better himself and admit his wrongdoings. Mason does an incredible job at the different portrayals, and how everyone deals with it differently. We see how their decisions impact the people around them, positively and negatively.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: For teens who are struggling with any type of substance abuse, this is a book that they will relate strongly to. Raf and Mike are flawed characters, but there are still people who care about them and want to see them succeed. Even though they make mistakes, a new day is another chance. Hopefully, The Art of Losing will be a beacon of light in a dark place for these teens.

Issues Present: The Art of Losing brings up many difficult and controversial topics, drug/alcohol abuse (substance abuse) and addiction being a big focus. To counter any challenges this book might face, Mason leaves readers with information about dealing with substance abuse. In her author's letter, she talks about going through rehab herself and how Alcohols Anonymous saved her life. She knows the reality that many teens will turn to drug and alcohol for various reasons, but she stresses the importance of finding help.

Book Talk Ideas: "... this sobriety thing isn't a fun new group of people to hang out with; it's not about the parties or the all-nighters at the diner, and it's not just smoking cigarettes outside at meetings and goofing off. It's going to be a struggle for the rest of my life." (p. 282)

  • Compare and contrast the way Mike and Raf deal with substance abuse.
  • How do the people in Harley's life react to how she deals with Mike and Raf's issues?
  • Discuss how Harley's family and friends support her while she is supporting Mike and Raf.
  • How does Mike's drunk driving affect Harley and her relationship with Raf?

Genre/Subgenres: Realistic fiction

Readalikes: Crank by Ellen Hopkins, Paperweight by Meg Haston, Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

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Friday, March 6, 2020

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Title: Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Format: Hardcover
Price: $17.99
Page Count: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 9781481438254

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up (ages 12+)
Lexile: 720
Interest Level: Grades 7 and up (ages 12+)

Annotation: Will's brother was murdered. Now Will's going to find who did it and do the same back to him.

Plot and Content Summary: Told in free verse, Long Way Down follows Will, just as he is about to leave his apartment to get revenge on his brother's murderer. With his brother's gun in hand, he takes the elevator down to leave. But as the door opens at every floor, he encounters people from his past who reveal pieces of the real story behind his brother's death—and more.

Evaluation: Reynolds is an incredible story teller, a man of few words but speaks so powerfully on gun violence. Since Reynolds narrates this story from Will's perspective in a poetic way, we can really feel the trauma he experiences through the metaphors and figurative language he uses. The way gun violence is explored, although not written in prose, clearly shows the dangerous cycle that anyone can get easily caught in. This was impactful and a life-changing read.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: It is clear that Reynolds is taking a stance and using his voice to speak out about gun violence. For those who feel trapped in this culture, he encourages them that it is not impossible to break out. Even though there are rules, and no matter how cornered one may feel, he shares a new perspective to them. Remember who died because of this? What would they say? This is a real issue that some teens were born or forced into.

Issues Present: For the same reason this could help teens, adults may think the opposite. Long Way Down is a brutal and explicit book. Reynolds does not hide the violent realities. For adults who want to censor this because the content is too explicit, this was Reynolds' reality. He wrote from his experience, so he wants to spread this message to others—those who are awfully aware of it AND those who are not. Reynolds is exposing this for what it is and bringing it to light. Yes, we want to protect teens from being part of this. But it can also raise awareness and empower teens.

Book Talk Ideas: "If someone you love / gets killed, / find the person / who killed / them ..." (p. 58)
  • What are some of the themes that show up in Long Way Down?
  • Long Way Down is written in prose. Discuss why this is (or is not) a strong way to convey the themes presented.
  • What are "The Rules" that Will mentions, and do they make sense? (p. 54-58)
  • How does the way Will grew up impact how he lives his life? (p. 58)
  • What do you think Will chose to do in the end?
Genre/Subgenres: African American fiction; Novels in verse

Readalikes: Fight or Flee by Patrick Jones, Solo by Kwame Alexander, Monster by Walter Dean Myers

References
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