Novel Experience

  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lacour, Nina. 2017. We are okay . New York: Dutton Books. ISBN 9780525425892 2. PLOT SUMMARY Just finishing her senior year in high school, Marin disappears to another state for college when she learns of her grandfather’s death and betrayal.  During the winter break, all of her school friends return home, but Marin has nowhere to go.  Marin allows her best friend, Mabel, to visit.  Mabel desperately tries to find out what is plaguing Marin.   3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This novel will hook the reader in the beginning by piquing their interest about what happened in Marin’s past life in California. Although alone during the holiday break, the author brings the protagonist’s best friend into the picture to get a glimpse into her past.  The reader is left wondering what happened to Marin’s grandfather as the protagonist says, “Every time I think about him, a black pit blooms in my stomach and breathing becomes a struggle.”  Through the ...

  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Chee, Traci. 2020. We are not free. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN 9780358131434 2. PLOT SUMMARY After the attack on Pearl Harbor, fourteen Japanese American teens’ lives have changed.  They deal with unfair treatment, fear, and uncertainty.  Then one by one, different parts of their neighborhood are forced to evacuate.  They will soon see what life will be like in their new homes, incarceration camps.   3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Told in the point of view of fourteen Japanese American teens, this is an emotional and very real account of what life was like for a Japanese American after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The complexity of each character is developed very well and the reader can sympathize with the teens’s emotions.  “We’re throwing punches, we’re getting bloody” shows Frankie and Shig’s need to get their anger out. Their anger and frustration is understandable as their lives are turned upside down.  They f...

  Ashley Laake LSSL 5385 01 Young Adult Literature Book Review 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexie, Sherman. 2009. The Absolutely true diary of a part time indian . New York: Little, Brown  Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0316013697 2. PLOT SUMMARY Junior, a fourteen year old Spokane Indian, loves to draw cartoons.  After getting wise advice from his teacher, Junior decides he wants to leave his school on the reservation.  It is not a decision that will be supported by others on the reservation, even his best friend, Rowdy.  Despite being scared, Junior attends an all white school where he faces new challenges and encounters new friendships and new activities.   3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This is a classic coming of age story which embraces very real parts of being a teenage boy.  Junior, the protagonist, faces many challenges which makes his character so relatable.  He faces many physical problems because he was born with too much cerebrospinal fluid on his ...