by Susan Shaw
Summary:
Walking home on the last day of school is a glorious feeling. No more homework, no more tests, just fun and freedom for the next three months. But all of that is interrupted for Tracy when she is grabbed from the side of the road walking home. The whole ordeal only lasts a few hours, but when she is found beaten, raped, and traumatized you realize you're only at the beginning of her story.
Review:
Safe is a book about a girl recovering from a traumatic experience. The book doesn't focus so much on the act of what happened to her but about the aftermath. We watch her as she tries to find security again, as she withdraws into herself in order to protect herself, as she tries to pretend everything is normal while pushing people away. Tracy is a character that many can identify with, a strong girl who is trying to find her way. I thought the Shaw was smart to include scenes where Tracy is viewed as the one in the wrong as well, like when the brother of her attacker tells her she is a horrible person for telling 'lies,' because in real life the victims of crimes like these are not only treated like the victim they are. While the book does revolve around a really heavy topic, the way it glosses over the actual acts makes the book appropriate for more mature tweens.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade
Showing posts with label Rape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rape. Show all posts
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
You Against Me
by Jenny Downham
Summary:
Rape is an ugly thing. It tears up not only the victim, but their family and friends. But the family of the perpetrator, what about them? What is their family supposed to do? When Mikey's sister claims she was raped, Ellie's brother is the one accused of it. As he goes to jail, and then is released, she stands by him because that's what sisters do. But what if the claim is true? Who can she stand by then?
Review:
"You Against Me" is interesting because it not only looks at the aftermath of rape from the point of view of the victim's family, but also of the perpetrator. The book addresses the shame and fear experienced by the victim, but also the social and emotional repercussions that those related to someone who commits a terrible crime face. Both Ellie and Mikey have to come to terms with the face that the other's family is not the enemy, and have to learn that regardless the truth is the only thing that is really important, even if it is what tears one of their families apart.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10-11th Grade
Summary:
Rape is an ugly thing. It tears up not only the victim, but their family and friends. But the family of the perpetrator, what about them? What is their family supposed to do? When Mikey's sister claims she was raped, Ellie's brother is the one accused of it. As he goes to jail, and then is released, she stands by him because that's what sisters do. But what if the claim is true? Who can she stand by then?
Review:
"You Against Me" is interesting because it not only looks at the aftermath of rape from the point of view of the victim's family, but also of the perpetrator. The book addresses the shame and fear experienced by the victim, but also the social and emotional repercussions that those related to someone who commits a terrible crime face. Both Ellie and Mikey have to come to terms with the face that the other's family is not the enemy, and have to learn that regardless the truth is the only thing that is really important, even if it is what tears one of their families apart.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10-11th Grade
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Want to go Private?
by Sarah Darer Littman
Summary:
Abby knew high school was going to be different than middle school, she just didn't expect everything to be so hard. Her best friend Faith is making new friends left and right, joining clubs and having fun, but Abby can't seem to find her place. Combined with parents who just ignore her and the most annoying little sister, it's no wonder she prefers to spend all her time online with her new friend Luke. She's never met him, in fact they met in a chat room on her favorite website, but he understands her more than anyone else. When she's fed up with everything he suggests they have a fun weekend together. He loves her after all, so Abby decides to meet him. But what happens when online fantasy changes to reality, what's actually real and what's not. For Abby it might be too late...
Review:
Want to go Private? is a story about the dangers of the internet, about the dangers that anyone who goes online is exposed to. Abby has been taught all about how to be safe on the internet, that she shouldn't give out personal information to people she doesn't know, but Luke slowly gains her trust and she is convinced she's doing the right thing by telling him her name, about her life, giving him her address. The book is a chilling reminder that even when someone knows the facts about something, all it takes is someone pushing the right buttons to get them to forget themselves. A really good read for older tweens and younger teens about the dangers of falling for a fantasy.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade
Summary:
Abby knew high school was going to be different than middle school, she just didn't expect everything to be so hard. Her best friend Faith is making new friends left and right, joining clubs and having fun, but Abby can't seem to find her place. Combined with parents who just ignore her and the most annoying little sister, it's no wonder she prefers to spend all her time online with her new friend Luke. She's never met him, in fact they met in a chat room on her favorite website, but he understands her more than anyone else. When she's fed up with everything he suggests they have a fun weekend together. He loves her after all, so Abby decides to meet him. But what happens when online fantasy changes to reality, what's actually real and what's not. For Abby it might be too late...
Review:
Want to go Private? is a story about the dangers of the internet, about the dangers that anyone who goes online is exposed to. Abby has been taught all about how to be safe on the internet, that she shouldn't give out personal information to people she doesn't know, but Luke slowly gains her trust and she is convinced she's doing the right thing by telling him her name, about her life, giving him her address. The book is a chilling reminder that even when someone knows the facts about something, all it takes is someone pushing the right buttons to get them to forget themselves. A really good read for older tweens and younger teens about the dangers of falling for a fantasy.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7-8th Grade
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Speak
by Laurie Hale Anderson
Summary:
Melinda didn't want to start freshman year as the girl everyone hates, but after calling the cops on a party at the end of the summer she has found herself to be persona non grata with everyone. No one asked her her side of the story, and even if they did she's not sure what she'd say. With no one to turn to she takes refuge in the one class she likes, art. As the year goes by she finds that the things she really needs to say she can't. But when her friend is threatened by what she experienced at that party, she realizes that the courage to speak was there all along.
Review:
Speak is a powerful book about a girl's reaction to being raped. Her confusion and shame, unwillingness to talk, and ostracism by her peers (though none of them knew about it) are all taken matter of factly by Melinda herself. What struck me the most about the book was how no one really stepped in to talk to her, how her parents left her alone and didn't question as she withdrew from everyone. How her friends turned on her after learning she had called the cops, without asking her why. But once she does tell her side of the story, everyone stands by her, realizing that she was the only one who had it right all along.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 9th grade
Summary:
Melinda didn't want to start freshman year as the girl everyone hates, but after calling the cops on a party at the end of the summer she has found herself to be persona non grata with everyone. No one asked her her side of the story, and even if they did she's not sure what she'd say. With no one to turn to she takes refuge in the one class she likes, art. As the year goes by she finds that the things she really needs to say she can't. But when her friend is threatened by what she experienced at that party, she realizes that the courage to speak was there all along.
Review:
Speak is a powerful book about a girl's reaction to being raped. Her confusion and shame, unwillingness to talk, and ostracism by her peers (though none of them knew about it) are all taken matter of factly by Melinda herself. What struck me the most about the book was how no one really stepped in to talk to her, how her parents left her alone and didn't question as she withdrew from everyone. How her friends turned on her after learning she had called the cops, without asking her why. But once she does tell her side of the story, everyone stands by her, realizing that she was the only one who had it right all along.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 9th grade
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