1. TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green
Bibliography
Green, John (2017). Turtles all the way down. Penguin Books.
Plot Summary
Aza is a teenage girl dealing with the death of her father and mental health issues. Aza Holmes is dealing with depression, OCD, and anxiety on top of typical teenage issues. You are immediately immersed in her fear of germs, in particular C. diff. When she hears about the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy local businessman, Aza realizes that she knows his son, Davis. The two of them rekindle their friendship and it develops into something more. By the end of the book, Aza understands and handles her disorders more healthily and the disappearance of Davis’s dad is solved.
Critical Analysis
Turtles All the Way Down is a story about mental health. John Green writes the character of Aza with knowing eyes. She has constant repetitive thoughts throughout the story and the reader can feel her anxiety.
Like a typical YA novel, there are themes of loss and young love. Davis and Aza are awkward, but sweet in their innocent late nights stargazing and uncomfortably kissing one another. You can feel Aza’s internal battle of how to feel about Davis, and how to process their increasing affections. John Green tells her struggle with how and when to reveal distressing information to her boyfriend carefully.
Review excerpts
Connections
- The Readers Guide at the end of the book has a conversation with John Green, acknowledgements, and questions for discussion.
- Further reading: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
2. THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas
Bibliography
Thomas, Angie. (2017). The hate u give. Balzer + Bray.
Plot Summary
This is the story of 16-year-old Starr who witnesses the tragic murder of her childhood friend at the hands of a police officer. Throughout the novel, Starr comes to terms with what she saw, its impact on her personal life, her community, and the world at large.
Critical Analysis
The Hate U Give is an artfully composed narrative that will serve as a window to some and a mirror for others. Angie Thomas thoughtfully created a setting that feels tangible to her readers. It is a synthesis of many low-income neighborhoods in the United States. Her characters reflect the diversity found in many big cities. Each character has a unique journey and learns a particular lesson that is fitting of that path. These lessons serve as important messages for her young audience. Through her characters’ realistic reactions and interactions with each other, she honors the parts they all have to play and at the same time, her readers’ individual perspectives.
Review excerpts
- School Library Journal: “The first-person, present-tense narrative is immediate and intense, and the pacing is strong, with Thomas balancing dramatic scenes of violence and protest with moments of reflection.”
Connections
3. LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds
Bibliography
Reynolds, Jason. (2019). Long way down. Atheneum.
Plot Summary
Long Way Down is a verse novel about a teenage boy, Will whose older brother, Shawn, has just been shot dead. Will gets on the elevator in his apartment building with a mission to follow the rules and get revenge for his brother. On the ride down to the lobby of his building, the elevator stops and different people from his past get on. They each tell a piece of the story, and through his interactions with them, Will’s perspective on his family, life, and community change.
Critical Analysis
This story is told in verse through short poems and anagrams. Like the smoke and haze in the elevator, the pages are imprinted with gray streaks in the beginning and gradually speckled with cloudiness at the end.
The characters in the novel narrate their perspective, and although there isn’t much group interaction, the one-on-one dialogue tells a compelling story. The plot unwinds carefully, and the reader feels how much Will is struggling with Shawn’s death, as he becomes less and less sure of how it went down. As new characters get on the elevator and interact with Will, he begins to realize that the stories that he had been told, and the perspective he had at the beginning of the elevator ride are incomplete.
The gun that Will takes from Shawn’s middle drawer and sticks in the back waistband of his jeans becomes a symbol for his emotional state. It represents “The Rules” that have been passed down to him. He puts it on for show and bravado but isn’t fully comfortable with it. He also isn’t ready to admit that right away. Will’s awareness progresses gradually, much like a slow-moving elevator going from floor to floor.
Review excerpts
Connections
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