Stories are magical, for both the young and old. Here you can find book reviews for specific age groups, topics, or learning experiences. There are also booklists and lesson ideas for educators, librarians, and families.
Jagged Little Pill was one of the first albums I bought and when I listened to the music of Alanis Morisette, as a 13 year old, I could feel the emotion behind her lyrics. In high school I won front row tickets to her concert when she toured with Garbage and even got to meet her backstage! She was every bit of lovely and kind as I imagined. It continues to be one of the best moments of my adolescence. Here I am, 27 years later, reading the young adult novel of the same name based on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical by Eric Smith, Diablo Cody and Glen Ballard. This is the first novelization of a musical that I have read and it didn't disappoint!
The story is told from alternating points of view of five teenagers: Frankie, Jo, Nick, Phoenix and Bella. It's the middle of the school year in a Connecticut suburb and nothing will be the same after a party that gets out of hand when Bella gets violated and the evidence is spread across social media. Everyone's expectations of how they should respond in the wake of this incident drives the story:
How will Nick, Bella's love interest who was supposed to look out for her act when his mother insists that he do nothing to jeopardize his college plans?
How will Frankie, Nick's adoptive sister, and her best-friend-with-benefits, Jo, support Bella along with their social activist club to make sure justice is served?
What can the new student, Phoenix, do to help as he falls for Frankie while taking care of his mom and hospitalized sister?
Using the musical and album, it's a journey for each character to get introspective as they risk losing the people they love in order to be true to themselves. The adults in the story have as many problems, if not more than the teens as they apply social pressure to everyone around them, including themselves. This is a dynamic story where every character's choices have much to be debated. Readers can think about how much race fits into their expectations of people's sexuality along with the #MeToo movement. Who gets believed and why? How do you communicate with someone with whom you've crossed the line of friendship? What do you do when you suspect your parent of having an addiction?
This book also stands out to me and will resonate with young adult readers because the authors interweave texting and chat conversations between the characters. This is a more realistic way of storytelling as today's young people communicate in this way and will more likely read a book that includes this component of dialog.
Teens can also choose an album or song that speaks to them and write a story idea inspired by the lyrics. This type of writing prompt can help adolescents find the beauty in storytelling and even match other books with songs that would go along well with them! As a fan of movie soundtracks, I love it when books name songs being played so I can play them and the story comes alive in a different way. Literacy is about so much more than the words the page. It's a complete sensory experience if you allow yourself to engage in it. Smith includes a link to the cast recording so readers can listen to it for themselves:
Now that I have read the novel I am ready to watch the musical!
Saints and Misfits is a realistic fiction, young adult book written by S.K. Ali. It's about 15 year old American Arab-Indian girl named Janna who is struggling in her life. She has been sexually assaulted by a prominent member of her mosque and she is developing a crush on Jeremy, a classmate who is not Muslim at all. Janna wants to expose her assailant but is afraid of the backlash she could receive from her religious community. Ali expertly writes about the different ways people express their religious beliefs and it is an eye-opener for those who want to learn beyond the Muslim stereotypes.
Misfit in Love is the sequel to Saints and Misfits but it can stand on its own. In this story it is summertime and Janna's plan is to move forward with her feelings for Nuah, the boy who was there for her when she was assaulted the year before. It's her brother, Muhammad's wedding and for Janna, that is the perfect time to reveal to her friends and family that she also has feelings for Nuah. Except the wedding's not going as planned, Nuah is acting detached and Janna's even more confused when she meets two more men who are attending the wedding: Haytham, the handsome poet/singer who is amazing with kids and Layth, the equally handsome, yet broodingly mysterious one who has his own struggles he's keeping within. The wedding is also a time that Janna can finally spend with her mom and possibly, her mom's new love interest since divorcing her father. The weekend is full of family, relationship breakthroughs, laughter, music, dancing, swimming, eating, family and friendship. The Janna who starts the story is not the same one who finishes it.
Ali explains the nuances within the various types of Muslim cultures and brings into the mainstream the way modern-day people's Muslim faith is a part of their daily lives. She tackles the complicated dynamics of joining families with different cultural roots, even while sharing a religious one. I learned a lot about Muslim wedding ceremonies, nikahs, burkinis, dabke dances, niqab hijabs and many more terms that I enjoyed looking up while reading this story. Here is her interview for Entertainment Weekly where Ali discusses Misfit in Love and more!
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