how i live now by Meg Rosoff

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rosoff, M. (2004). How i live now.  New York: Wendy Lamb Books.  ISBN 0385746776. 194 p.

SUMMARY

Fifteen year old Daisy is sent away to live with her aunt and four cousins whom she has never met before.  Her father, widowered since Daisy’s birth, has remarried, and he and his wife are expecting a baby.  Daisy is conveniently swept away to live in a small rural town in England where life is so different from fast paced New York City that she knows so well.  Surprisingly, Daisy finds contentment in this new world.  She grows increasingly fond of her cousins, the animals, the land, and the calm rural life.  An unexpected love captures her heart, and just when things seemed so very good, rumors of a war prove to be true.  The war invades their lives, scatters their family members, and tests their endurance.  Daisy finds herself responsible for her young cousin Piper’s life and will need to dig deep within herself to face the devastation of war.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Meg Rosoff, author of how i live now, writes a believable story about a teenager’s plight as she is uprooted from her city life in America to a rural life in England.  The main character, Daisy, faces many new and troubling situations.  Written as a narrative in the first person, Meg Rosoff writes in a manner that is typical of a teenager.  Her choice of words and modern references sound as though Daisy is talking to the reader right at that moment.  Rosoff uses uppercase letters that clearly demonstrate a need to emphasize certain words or phrases.  Her utilization of very long sentences and her lack of punctuation can be a little confusing at times.  However, the overall result does effectively remind the reader that Daisy is a teenager from New York City.  Meg Rosoff touches on such serious topics that include love, pain, anger, sex, death, and sadness, and her delivery is beautiful.  Worthy of the Printz Award that it received, how i live now is a must read.  

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ISBN 0374371520. 

197 p.

SUMMARY

Melinda Sordino is entering her first year of high school, and at one time, she looked forward to the prospect of making new friends and embracing the whole high school experience with her longtime best friend Rachel.  However, Melinda suddenly has a different view of things, and as she begins her freshman year, she is shunned by her best friend and disliked by many students.  She is subjected to cruel comments, angry looks, and social exclusion.  She befriends Heather, but even that friendship fizzles.  Something happened to Melinda during the summer.  Something awful caused her to unintentionally bust a party.  Now, she’s an outcast.   Her falling grades, social problems, and abnormal silence are causing her to sink into a dismal place.  If only she would speak about it, maybe she could resume a somewhat normal life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of a thirteen year old girl’s struggle to deal with a serious problem.  Told from the protagonist’s point of view, Anderson succeeds in delivering a story that is personal, tragic, and heartfelt.  She writes in a quick-to-read format that is sometimes told in a conversational dialog form.  Readers will feel the protagonist’s range of emotions as they read about her daily struggles.  Anderson uses words that are realistic and recognizable to today’s teens.  Although the story drags a bit as the protagonist’s skirts around the issue bothering her, Anderson does eventually reveal exactly what happened to Melinda. 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Taylor, M. (1976). Roll of thunder hear my cry. New York: Dial Books.  ISBN 0803726473. 276 p.

SUMMARY

The year is 1933, and the story begins in a small rural town in Mississippi.  Young Cassie Logan and her three brothers are walking to school in their best clothing since it is the first day of the school year, but they cannot keep themselves clean for various reasons. As Cassie tells the story of her daily life, she becomes suddenly and sometimes painfully aware that the community she lives in does not treat everybody equally.  In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Cassie begins to notice that African-Americans tend to have a different lifestyle in comparison to the white families.  This unfair treatment takes place not only in her town but in neighboring towns as well.  Even though slavery was abolished seventy years ago, Cassie learns that a declaration in words does not always change other people’s thoughts and actions.  

ANALYSIS

In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor shares an historical fiction story set during the Depression.  Written through the eyes of the young main character, Cassie, Mildred Taylor uses language true to the time period and describes the hardships and good times that the Logan family experiences.  Basing some of the scenes from stories told by her own ancestors, Taylor succeeds in creating a novel filled with believable characters, conditions, and problems.  Readers will experience various emotions as Cassie relates some humorous, serious, and painful events.  They will learn about problems that African-Americans faced within this country even many years after the abolition of slavery.  Winner of the 1977 John Newbery Medal, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is a wonderful, quick–to-read story suitable for middle school and high school students.