Book Review: Why We Broke Up (Realistic Fiction)

Bibliography

Handler, Daniel, and Maira Kalman. Why We Broke Up. New York: Little, Brown, 2011. Ebook.

Summary

With a huge thunk, Min Green, who is described as “not-arty, but different,” delivers a box to basketball star Ed Slaterton’s house. Min has filled the box with artifacts from their relationship. Along with the box, Min chronicles how each object factored in to her growing love for Ed, and why they broke up.

Critical Analysis

Why We Broke Up delivers the story of high school student Min Green as she experiences her first true love. Ed is every girls dream boyfriend, he is popular and the co-captain of the basketball team, whereas Min relates life to old movies and dreams of being a movie director. Ed and Min are very different characters, but each one exposes the other to other sides of high school life. The theme of first love, and first true heartbreak, will resonate with the young adult audience because of the realistic nature of the story. Handler writes the story almost like a diary, with Min’s thoughts and feelings expressed through how each object in the box factored in to their relationship. Kalman’s artwork ties in the objects of the box to the story and adds to the delivery and suspense of why Min and Ed broke up.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One of the strengths of Why We Broke Up is the realistic nature of the story. Most girls in high school dream of being the girlfriend of one of the most popular boys in school. This becomes a reality for Min when she starts to date Ed, who even though the reader hates him for what he does to Min, he is actually a very likable character. One other strength of the novel is how the story unfolds. Due to the title of the book, the reader knows what is going to happen, but through the story and the artwork, the reader is taken through a journey of first love, and heartbreak. One of the weaknesses of the book is that Min is a very unique person, but at times it is hard for the reader to relate to her character. For example, she correlates her life experiences with scenes from old movies and is the “arty” type, even though she doesn’t see herself that way.  

Book Review: Where Things Come Back (Printz Award Winner)

Bibliography

Whaley, John Corey. Where Things Come Back. New York: Atheneum for Young Readers, 2011. Print.

Summary

Cullen Witter is a 17-year old boy that lives in the small town of Lily, Arkansas who typically sees the negative side of people. The only people he seems to genuinely like are his 15-year old brother, Gabriel, and his best friend, Lucas Cader. Despite the many struggles the people in Lily face, they find hope in the sighting of what was once an extinct woodpecker, but at the same time, Cullen is coping with the sudden and mysterious disappearance of his brother, which gives him an even more jaded and hopeless view of the world. In the end, do things, like brothers, and hope, come back?  

Critical Analysis

In Where Things Come Back, Whaley uses the overlying theme of finding hope to deliver a story that will appeal to the young adult audience. Cullen dreams of being the hero and getting girl, but he never wants to be the victim or have anybody feel pity for him. But he also is realistic about his life, even though he has a negative view of people. To contrast Cullen, Lucas and Gabriel are positive people that others want to be around, and when Gabriel disappears, Cullen is unsure if he will ever have hope again. When the extinct woodpecker is sighted nearby, Cullen has to decide if it is better to have no hope or false hope, and what, if anything is the true meaning of life.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Where Things Come Back is a Michael L. Printz Award Winner for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. The novel has strengths that make it a good literary choice. Cullen, the main character, in his pessimistic state is a relatable character for young adult audiences, especially boys. He has a very real worldview where he won’t always get the girl and bad things will happen in life. Even though the story was somewhat depressing, in the end, a glimmer of hope prevailed, which is something most readers want to believe. One of the weaknesses of the novel is that some young adult readers may not get the metaphors of the story, like the woodpecker. It is especially difficult to follow the Book of Enoch storyline, even though it was a crucial part of the story.

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Challenged)

Bibliography

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Gallery, 1999. Print.

Summary

“He’s a wallflower.”

“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” 

In Stephen Chbosky’s novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the main character Charlie is an awkward and intelligent freshman in high school and is constantly thinking about situations and people, usually to the point of over thinking everything. He finally connects with two older students, Sam and Patrick, who show him the reality of life, and opens his eyes to how people view themselves and those around them. Through Charlie’s experiences with Sam and Patrick, Charlie eventually makes a startling discovery about himself that explains much of why he does what he does and what makes him the person he is.

Critical Analysis

The Perks of Being a Wallflower takes place in the early 1990’s and features characters that are in high school as they try to reconcile past experiences with what their futures will be. Chbosky uses many controversial issues, such as drug use, gay relationships, abortion, molestation, and abuse to deliver a message that gives humanness and understanding to all people. The story is told through a series of letters that Charlie writes to a mystery person, and shows how he tries to understand other people, while still trying to figure himself out. Ultimately, the reader connects to the story, and accepts the truth of what Charlie learns, in that “we accept the love we think we deserve.”    

Strengths and Weaknesses

It is easy to see why The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a challenged book, due to the actions in the story, like abortion, drug use, gay relationships, and abuse. This is both the strength and the weakness of the book. When the book is looked at overall, it tells a powerful story with a message of understanding and acceptance, and how people cope with events in their lives. Even though most people can relate to the characters in the book in some way, some of the events that happen will have no context for most students, like abortion or molestation. Many of the controversial events may detract some readers from really grasping the meaning of the book.

Book Review (Classics)

Bibliography

Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would Die. New York: Knopf, 1972. 150p. Print.

Summary

A Day No Pigs Would Die is a coming of age story of a 12-year old boy named Robert who lives on a farm in Vermont. Since his family is Shaker, Robert is expected to focus on the necessities of life and what the earth has to offer. One afternoon, Robert rescues the cow that belongs to a neighboring farm. His neighbor, Mr. Tanner, gives Robert a young pig in exchange for saving his prized cow. The pig, Pinky, quickly becomes a beloved pet to Robert. Mr. Tanner also exposes young Robert to the world outside of the Shaker living by taking him to a fair in a nearby town, where Pinky earns a blue ribbon for “Best Behaved Pig.” As Robert nears his 13^th birthday, his father, who slaughters pigs for a living, reveals something to him that forces Robert to become a man far sooner than he anticipates.   

Critical Analysis

In A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert Newton Peck delivers a heartfelt story that can appeal to young adult readers that are trying to find their way into adulthood and meeting expectations set forth by their families and their cultures. Robert, the main character, struggles between what has been taught to him and what he has learned from the world outside of his Shaker traditions. The plot of the story moves at a fairly quick-pace and gives the reader a good picture of what the Shaker life was like in Vermont in the early 1900’s, as they struggle to continue their simple ways in a society that is becoming more complicated. Peck adds realism to the story by incorporating the Vermont vernacular into the story. The theme of the novel is how a young boy moves into adulthood and the struggles that go along with this.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A Day No Pigs Would Die is known as a classic in Young Adult Literature for many reasons. The strength of the story is the universal struggle of all young adults as they try to find their way into adulthood, while still trying to respect what they have been taught in the past. Young Robert is not perfect, but his struggles are compelling and mostly relatable. One of the weaknesses of the novel is that even though the theme of the story is relatable, Robert’s circumstances are not. Many young readers may have trouble identifying with a Shaker farm boy that has a pet pig and has to rely on the simplicities of earth to provide the necessities of life. Also, the language that is used in the story can be difficult to understand, especially for younger readers.