Before I Die

Title: Before I Die

Author: Jenny Downham

ISBN: 978-0-385-75155-1

Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th to 12th

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Media Type: Book

Copyright: 2007

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Tessa has many things left to accomplish and she won't let anyone or anything get in her way.

Plot Summary: Tessa, the female protagonist in Before I Die, is dying of cancer. She has been battling the disease since the age of thirteen. Now, as a young adult, she is determined to experience the various items on her to-do list before she succumbs to the terminal illness. While some of the items on her list, like saying yes to everything for one full day, are relatively lighthearted, others are consequential. Tessa's list includes having sex, breaking the law, and trying drugs, among other items.

Evaluation: (A+) This is a very emotional account of a young woman's struggle with cancer, her relationships with others, and her desire to be a normal teenager. So emotional, I have to admit, that I was bawling my eyes out by the last page. Emotional responses such as this were the result of the author's development of such a believable, likeable character. While Tessa was determined to complete the items on her list, there were times when she wanted to give up and times when it seemed like she did give up. This helped to give the reader a sense of realism since one could see that the disease did, in fact, have an effect on the character's thoughts, emotions, and physical limitations. Tessa wasn't gung-ho all of the time which is what one might expect from someone battling a terminal illness. Additionally, the stream-of-conscious style of writing towards the end of the novel was more than effective at portraying the character's situation and state of mind.

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Keeping You a Secret

Title: Keeping You a Secret

Author: Julie Anne Peters

ISBN: 978-0-316-00985-0

Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th and Up

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Media Type: Book

Copyright:  2003

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation: Girl loves boy. Girl loves girl. No one ever said that dating would be this complicated.

Plot Summary: Holland, the female protagonist in Keeping You a Secret by Julie Ann Peters, is by all accounts a heterosexual teenager. She even has a steady boyfriend. That is until CeCe, a new student at Holland’s school, allows Holland to experience thoughts and emotions never before felt. Holland begins a secret relationship with CeCe that eventually reveals itself. She becomes the recipient of other peoples’ narrow-mindedness and bigotry and is forced to choose between her family and CeCe.  

Evaluation: (C)  While Julie Ann Peters presents realistic characters in Holland and Cece, the plot line was slightly unrealistic.  I believed Holland's inner conflict between maintaining her simple, mainstream lifestyle and her attraction and desires for the new girl.  Her choice for the latter was also convincing as was her family's reaction to it; however, the realism in the sequence of events subsequent to leaving her family's house bordered on outrageous for a young girl Holland's age.  While many real life teens may make the choice that Holland did, Julie Ann Peter's portrayal was not convincing.        

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• Out of the Closet 
  

Luna

Title: Luna

Author: Julie Anne Peters

ISBN: 978-0-316-01127-3

Recommended Grade Level of Reader: 9th to 12th

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Media Type: Book

Copyright:  2004

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  While Regan is battling to have her own life, Liam is struggling to become the woman he always wanted to be.  

 

Plot Summary:  Regan, the female protagonist, is a seemingly normal high school student.  Little does everyone know that she is dealing with a unique family life.  Her brother Liam has always felt like a girl.  Regan is the only one who knows Liam’s true feelings and identity.  Regan is the only one who knows Luna.  Luna, Liam’s female identity, has confided in Regan from an early age, snuck into her bedroom to play dress up, and almost revealed herself at one of Regan’s slumber parties.  Regan has spent so much of her life protecting her brother that she hardly has time for herself.  Luna captures the struggle of a girl trapped inside a boy’s body and the desire of another girl to have a life outside of her family.

Evaluation: (A)  Julie Ann Peters has created a captivating story of sibling connections, dysfunctional family relations, and quests for personal identity.  In particular, Luna’s character is unique, intriguing and convincing.  Although Luna’s story is told through Regan’s point-of-view, this method effectively delivers pertinent information the reader needs to know in order to understand and possibly empathize with Luna’s struggle.  Regan’s inner dialogue helps to highlight Luna’s journey from a young boy to a teen battling with gender identity issues.  Julie Ann Peters’ writing is so effective, descriptive, and suspenseful that on can’t help but to see the theatrical promise in this literary piece.  

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• Brothers and Sisters
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Story of a Girl

Title: Story of a Girl

Author: Sara Zarr

ISBN: 978-0-316-01454-0

Recommended Grade Level of Reader:  9th and Up

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Media Type: Book

Copyright:  2007

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Some people make mistakes, but others make them with everyone looking. 

Plot Summary:  Deanna, the female protagonist, recounts an event from her past that earned her a bad reputation with her peers.  The story surrounds her dad catching her having sex at the tender age of thirteen.  He just so happened to find her during this escapade in the backseat of a boy’s car.  The boy, her brothers now ex-friend, bragged to his classmates and, as a result, Deanna got labeled as the school slut.  Story of a Girl begins on the last day of Deanna’s freshman year of high school.  Events unfold over the course of the summer concerning Deanna’s two best friends, Deanna’s brother, and a summer job that goes awry. 

Evaluation:  (A)  This story is based on the underlying theme of mistakes.  Specifically, one mistake can affect many facets of an individual’s life.  This is apparent in not only the plot concerning Deanna getting caught in the backseat, but also subplots pertaining to other characters such as Deanna’s brother.  Zarr does an excellent job at subtly incorporating this lesson into the novel without being too preachy.  Additionally, the character dialogue and Deanna’s inner thoughts are believable and could easily be attributed to a real life teenager. 

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