ALAN Picks: Feminism, Coming of Age and Stories of Resistance
In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature several books that will appeal to students who may be interested in the coming-of-age, romance, dystopian, historical fiction and fantasy genres. This column also features several books that explore literature from a feminist lens in honor of Women’s History Month. Not Here to be Liked by Michelle Quach is a contemporary romance that deals with issues of identity and gender equality. Wilder Girls by Rory Power is a feminist take on The Lord of the Flies set in an all-girls school during an outbreak of a mysterious illness. Scattergood by H. M. Bouwman is a middle grade coming of age novel that is set in rural America during WWII. Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis is the fantasy retelling of the 16th century German Witch trials.
Looking For Teen Reviewers: If you know students who are interested in writing book reviews of recently published young adult and middle grade books, let them know they can write for ALAN Picks too!
ALAN Picks Book Selections: ALAN Picks accepts reviews of books published from spring 2020 to present-day, including soon-to-be-released books. This gives ALAN members who are interested in reviewing books more great titles to choose from, as well as accommodate some great books released during the beginning of the pandemic that still deserve highlighting. If you have some books in mind that you would like to review, please reach out to me!
Let Us Know How You Use ALAN Picks! If you read an ALAN Picks review and end up using the book with your students, let us know! We want to hear all of your great stories and engaging ways you are using young adult and middle grades literature in your classrooms. Remember, ALAN Picks are book reviews by educators for educators! Click on the archives to see previous editions.
Submit a Review: Would you like to submit a review? Check out ALAN Picks for submission guidelines and email ALAN Picks Editor, Richetta Tooley at richetta.tooley@gmail.com with the book title you are interested in reviewing. Rolling deadline.
– Richetta Tooley, ALAN Picks Editor
A Charming Story that Draws Attention to Issues in Feminism
Not Here to be Liked by Michelle Quach
Book Details
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publish Date: September 14, 2021
Page Count: 384
ISBN: 978-0063038387
Genre: Young Adult, Teen, Romance
Synopsis: Eliza is an aspiring chief editor at her school’s newspaper club — The Bugle, well she was until a washed-up baseball star who can make acne look good stole her thunder. In an act of anger, Eliza writes her very own “manifesto” privately on a public school computer… Mysteriously and without her consent, her piece of work is published on the school news front page where she repeatedly calls her club misogynistic and blames the face of the patriarchy, a.k.a Len DiMartile. In this acquiatances-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, Eliza struggles with gender inequality and the dismissive comments of her peers and teachers who think she is simply crying misogyny.
Review: I enjoyed this novel. This love story was a classic slow burn and it captured my heart in a way that I think will be relatable for many who read it. As a young adult myself, I feel enamored with the tension between these two characters and it feels as though I am watching my favorite TV drama. Not Here to be Liked touches on various issues with self-identity and gender equality. Eliza’s issues are ignored by the adults around her due to Eliza’s age and being a woman. I hope everyone finds this story as page turning and illuminating as I found it.
Suggestions For Classroom/Curriculum:
Thematic Connections:
- Gender
- Race
- Variety of Family Dynamics
- Feminism
- Performative Activism
Essential Questions:
- What is gender equality to you?
- If you wanted to stand-up for something you believed in, how would you go about it?
- How does intersectionality affect your perspective and your identity?
- What are the different perspectives of the main female characters in this novel and how does that impact the idea of feminism?
Teaching Activities:
- Before reading the novel, I plan on having the students bring in their own newspaper example and as a class we will take a vote on the format of the newspaper we will be completing as a class.
- As we go through the novel we will pick out terms such as “feminist” and “misogyny” and define them. Along with plotting the story on a plot mountain with an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution.
Formative and Summative Assessments:
Formative: The students will be participating in a socratic seminar at the half way point through the novel and at the end of the novel. Each student will need to prepare at least three questions for the group on their own sheet of paper but will be graded on both these three questions and at least one participation per socratic seminar. This seminar will be student-led but teacher encouraged. The teacher can direct students into a new conversation if needed but the idea is that with everyone’s three questions there should be a mountain of topics and thoughts that need to be discussed. Student questions can be about: plot, character development, tone, figurative language, the overall message of the story etc…
Summative: After we have completed both socratic seminars and read through the entire novel, as an entire class we will create our own mini newspaper that covers main points, themes, figurative language etc. throughout the novel. I will divide the class into groups of four and task each group with a different article to write (ex: over-all-plot, character insight, questions for the author, emerging themes) and the titles and photos they chose will be up to the group to decide. After each article is written and photos are chosen, I will print our class newspaper that gives a well-rounded view of the story.
Reviewed by: Keaira Ermatinger, Undergraduate English Education Student at University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
A Feminist Take on Lord of the Flies
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Book Details
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publish Date: 06/02/2020
Page Count: 400
ISBN: 9780525645610
Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Horror Fiction, Mystery, YA Lit
Synopsis: Wilder Girls by Rory Power is a thought-provoking story that takes a feminist take on the Lord of the Flies. The protagonist is a young person with her two best friends who finds themselves in the middle of a quarantine against a deadly infection at their school. As the threat of the infection becomes real and friends start to disappear, she must test the ropes of her friendship and loyalty with those around her to brave the hidden truths of her life at the Raxter School.
Review: Wilder Girls is a gripping story that plunges the reader into the horrific reality for girls infected with a mysterious illness called “Tox.” Quarantined at an all girls school on an island. Isolated from the outside world save for the occasional rumor that brings more fear than hope. The story focuses on the life of Hetty whose life is intertwined with that of Byatt, a friend until events prove to Hetty that she is much more than that. The crushing weight of isolation has pushed Hetty to the brink of sanity and when Byatt disappears from Hetty’s life she breaks all chains to reunite with her. On her defiant journey to find Byatt she discovers that not everything is as it appears and pushes against all odds to defy a world transformed into horror.
Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use
Thematic Elements
- Sexuality
- Intersectionality
- Friendship
- Independence
Essential Questions
- How does taking different perspectives into account when approaching other people help?
- How does the presence of adults affect the decisions we make in our environment?
- After reading the text, what new perspectives did you gain? How will these change how you view events in your life?
Teaching Activities:
- Prior to reading the book, ask students to write a page on what they would do if they were separated from friends and family during a quarantine.
- Ask students to create a daily schedule they would follow if they were quarantined at the school for an indefinite amount of time.
Formative/Summative Assessments
Formative:
- Students maintain a journal entry for each chapter. Detailing their perspective on the text and how they would approach the challenges and situations faced by the protagonist.
- Based on previous quarantines in history, discuss how the protagonist handled the situation with your classmates. How did you feel about the choices the characters made? Why?
Summative Activity:
- Analyze and discuss the difference if the characters in the text were adults.
- Students will research real-world quarantine situations and compare decisions made by the characters to choices they found in their research.
Reviewed by: Cody Dahms, Undergraduate English Education student at University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
A Rural Coming of Age Set in WWII-era American Midwest
Scattergood by H. M. Bouwman
Book Details
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Publish Date: January 2025
Page Count: 308
ISBN: 978-0-8234-5775-5
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade
Find on Bookshop
Synopsis:
In June of 1941, the United States has not yet entered WWII, though the War and its effects are evident in twelve-year-old Peggy’s hometown of West Branch, Iowa. Through the newspaper and radio, she learns about events in other parts of the world, but it is not until she meets a Jewish refugee at Scattergood Hostel that the reality of the war comes into focus. All at once her typical farm life is turned upside down by the appearance of this young man as well as the leukemia diagnosis of her cousin. Peggy makes it her job to save her cousin, turning to science and then religion for answers. Ultimately, she realizes that life is not like the mathematical equations which come easily to her, instead it can be messy and void of straightforward answers.
Review:
Bouwman weaves together a rich story about family, grief, and coming-of-age. The small American town is an unlikely setting for a WWII story, but one that works well to illustrate another side of the effects of war. With a subtle hand, Bouwman introduces readers to farm life in the United States as well as key events and figures in world history.
While young readers can relate to Peggy’s coming-of-age story, they will also glean what it was like to live without modern medicine or technology and the struggles and triumphs of such a life. Even Peggy’s parents send her mixed signals regarding where she can go and what she can do with her life. Her mother is content in West Branch, but a young female volunteer at Scattergood Hostel opens Peggy’s eyes to opportunities beyond her family’s farm.
Bouwman wastes no time diving into Peggy’s story. The first page establishes the obstacles Peggy is up against, and by the conclusion of the first chapter readers are acquainted with the characters, setting, and the stakes. The first-person narration and the fluid prose enable the story to flow easily while keeping readers engaged. Peggy’s thoughts allow readers to fully submerse themselves in her daily life and the time period.
Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use
Thematic Topics:
- War
- Grief
- Coming-of-age
- Religion
- Medicine
- Gender Norms
Preliminary Activity: In pairs or individually, students will visit a library and ask for assistance with research on one of the topics below. They will report to the rest of the class not only on their topic, but also on the research process and the tools and techniques they used to gather information. This is also an opportunity to introduce or further develop students’ knowledge of documentation styles, such as MLA.
Topics for Further Exploration:
Society of Friends Rabbi Nachman
Scattergood Hostel Dr. E. C. MacDowell
The Stock Market Crash Robert Losey
Medicine in 1940s United States USS Kearny
John Keats Benjamin Franklin
Siege of Leningrad Farming in 1940s United States
Westerbork
Discussion Questions:
- How did your research process, tools, and techniques differ from those Peggy used in the novel? Which would you prefer to use?
- Provide examples of scenes when Peggy’s gender and/or age prohibit her in some way. Provide examples of situations when her age and/or gender work to her benefit or disappear altogether.
- Chapter thirty-two is entitled “I lied to Delia.” Discuss the lie and whether you agree or disagree with it. Much of the novel swirls around lies, near lies, or omissions of truth. Do you believe there is a time and place for lies, and do you agree or disagree with the examples in the book?
- List ways in which your life is similar and different to Peggy’s life. What would you like and dislike about living in Iowa in 1941?
Creative Exercise: Choose a character and write their next chapter(s). While remaining historically accurate, write about the character’s life in the months or years following the last chapter of the novel.
Reviewed by: Stephanie Terrill, Visiting Assistant Professor, Massachusetts
A Retelling of 16th Century German Witch Trials
Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
Book Details
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: October 3rd, 2023
Page Count: 416
ISBN: 9781728272160 (ISBN10: 1728272165)
Genre: Fantasy
Find on Bookshop
Synopsis
This book retells the Trier Witch Trials that lasted over a decade in Germany. These executions were some of the biggest within Europe and lit the flame to countless other investigations throughout the world, including the Salem Witch Trials in the United States. Fritzi and her cousin are the last survivors of their coven after an invasion from the hexenjägers, witch hunters. With fury and insanity, Kommandant Dieter Kirch kidnaps her innocent cousin and takes her to Trier to face the cruel fate of a witch during the 1500’s, in a few days, he plans to burn over 100 accused witches at the stake in the name of his holy, Catholic God. Journeying to save her cousin and avenge the coven. Fritzi, a stubborn spitfire, finds companionship in a rebel Hexenjäger named Otto. While their enemies-to-lover troupe is easily anticipated, I found their vulnerability towards each other comforting. It’s a standard story about good versus evil, except the expected good is revealed to have its own corruption as the story unfolds.
Review
*Spoilers*
The Night of the Witch was a great story against the abuse from the Catholic Rule during Witch Trials. Fritzi was written as a powerful woman determined to protect her religion and its followers. There’s commentary on corruption, complacency, religion. This is the main merit of the book as it retells pagan history to honor their heroism. Most people think of the Salem Witch Trials when these topics are brought up, it’s important for the public to understand that this brutal genocide occurred across the world. The world-building was beautiful, I could envision the story as I followed the pages. The fantasy and romance within the book create a cozy atmosphere
where the reader can briefly get lost in the wonder of the life of a Witch, only to get dragged back into their reality when they remember the threats the characters face ahead of them. However, as Fritzi and Otto journey through Trier, the German capital where the Hexenjägers control, there is a lull in the plot. I had to force myself to push through at least 100 pages of them planning their revolt against the Catholic reign.
Thematic Connections and Essential Questions:
Thematic Connections
- Power Corruption
- Complacency
- Religion
- Cultural resistance
Essential Questions
- How can power lead to corruption?
- What can regular people (Citizens) do to fight against injustice?
- How have you seen religion being abused in places of power against the people the institution promised to protect?
- How can religion unite or alienate groups of people?
- Reflect on stories with rulers or people who hold high power, how have the narratives of those people changed throughout your life? Have those ideas stayed the same and have been reinforced? Or have you seen them change?
Culturally responsive and sustaining teaching strategies:
Formative: Assign students to groups to discuss the book. Have the students prepare discussions for major topics such as Fritzi’s relationship with Wild Magic, Otto’s intentions with Fritzi, The dynamic between Fritzi and Otto and both of their personal needs for each other. Encourage students to create their own topic questions and develop them as a thesis statement. Have the students come together and annotate sections of the book as a group. This can be done in sections of the book to compare plot development.
Summative: Sample questions from class discussions and lectures and to have students respond to through an essay format. Analyze and discuss the different characters and moments of the book that support the themes.
Reviewed by Brooklyn Bridges, student at The University of South Florida College of Education