Wow, I was sick with the flu last week. For the first 3 days I did nothing but slept. But then I started reading. Although I didn’t feel like doing anything else out of bed, reading became somewhat of a godsend.
So, I picked up a few young adult books on a shelf that I never saw before at my local library. The stories were great. So, I will be reviewing a few of these titles today.
Teens struggle with a lot of pain. Given the rise of teen suicide, I think we can certainly wonder what is happening to our youth. This story shows first hand some of the angst that teens experience.
The girl in this story experiences a lot of pain. She doesn’t tell a soul. Not one word about that one night that changed her life forever, and what was done to her has never passed Maddy’s lips. She was desperate to tell someone at first. But then came the shame, and the intimidation from one of the boys who attacked her.
Now its the beginning of a new school year, and Maddy is hoping that she can continue to hide, making herself as quiet and small as possible.
She tries to keep the memories at bay by burning herself with cigarettes. But when one of her attackers shows up in her English class, even that stops working.
Then her class is given a group novel-writing assignment, and fact and fiction begin to blur. Can Maddy take control of the story and reveal the truth? And will she be able to find the part of herself she feels she has lost?
This is a sad book in many ways. It shows how angst-ridden teens are. But it also shows how writing can help in self-expression.
This story is for all teens and young adults as well as the older reader who is trying desperately to understand the teen mindset.
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth