This highly impactful cover grabbed my attention immediately. I enjoyed Todd Strasser’s No Place so I knew this would be a great read. Jake just returned home after being injured during his first tour of duty. He is hailed as a hero in his hometown but he doesn’t feel like one. He comes from a military family, raised in a military community. His grandfather is a famous general and is encouraging him to return to active duty once his convalescence is over. Coming home is incredibly hard for active duty service men and women. This book illustrates what that feels like for Jake. His grandfather is parading him around while Jake is conflicted about his experiences and what he should do next. It is an emotional read and does not sugar coat the horrors of combat. We experience Jake’s PTSD, his guilt over surviving and his conviction to help others in the same situation while appeasing his demanding grandfather and reconnecting with his girlfriend. I read it in one day because I could not put this book down. This kind of first person narrative helps readers to better understand the challenges of our military. This is a gripping story that I will be recommending to many teens. I think it should be considered for the Printz Award.
Ideas for discussing with teens:
Discuss Jake’s visit with Morpiss.
What do you know about JROTC?
Discuss Jake’s opinion about recruiting.
Discuss the moment in the parade that made him nervous.
Discuss Jake’s relationships with his dad, grandfather and Aurora.
Discuss what happens with Brad.
Discuss Jake’s decision at the end. What would you have done?
Dan is a baseball star and dates the hottest girl in school. But Dan has a secret. His family is losing their home and they have to move in with an Uncle who resents his parent’s joblessness. Things don’t work out at his Uncle’s house and his parents make the decision to move to Dignityville, a tent community for the homeless. Dan makes friends with a girl named Meg whose brother is a lead organizer who is trying to make Dignityville a permanent place for those in need. That of course, causes problems for his girlfriend, Talia. There are many in the community who don’t want that to happen, including Dan’s uncle. The book does not sugar coat what is happening to Dan and his family. Inch by inch they lose things, like their phones, their car and their well being. Dan’s friends are going to see his favorite band and don’t invite him because he can’t afford the ticket. Everything is made harder by poverty. Todd Strasser does an excellent job framing this story for a bigger discussion. On one hand those with jobs think of the people in Dignityville are lazy, while there are many there who are trying to find work and can’t. There are people like Dan’s mother who just gave up after finding nothing for years. This book is a great read for both male and female readers. Homelessness and poverty are everywhere, young readers may have classmates struggling with this, or maybe they are struggling with it themselves. Either way, readers will be able to connect with the characters and the challenges they face.
Hickey Picks - Young Adult Readers Advisory 