Author: alansocialmediateam

ALAN Picks: Addressing Relationships Through Fiction

In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature a mix of young adult and middle grade books that deal with mental health issues, the experiences of children with undocumented family and fantasy folklore. Stuck in Her Head by Kylie Wang and Liana Tang is a contemporary YA graphic novel about intense expectations for a child prodigy and the relationships she is trying to navigate. The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt is a novel in verse that examines neurodivergence, generational trauma, and the lingering legacy of institutionalization. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon is contemporary YA novel about a girl integrating a Boston school while dealing with the loss of her father due to deportation. The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejia by Alexandra Alessandri a middle grade fantasy that is framed in Colombian folklore. 

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 Prodigy, Intense Expectations and Navigating Relationships

Stuck in Her Head by Kylie Wang and Liana Tang

Publisher: Earnshaw Books

Publish Date: October 24, 2023
Page Count: 218
ISBN: 9888769987
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Find on Bookshop

Synopsis: Stuck in Her Head follows the story of two friends, Naomi and Emma, who were brought together as children through a common thread – music.  However, that common thread seems to fray every passing day, and music is pushed to the back of their minds. Naomi struggles with feelings of anxiety and hatred towards the career she’s always thought to pursue while attempting to find a label that fits her feelings. Meanwhile, Emma must overcome a dark depressive state that’s been accompanied by the divorce of her parents, her struggle to express her sexual identity, and her fear of having to move away from the city and friends she calls home.  Lying to protect Emma’s feelings, Naomi pushes the friendship to a breaking point, during which Naomi must focus on healing herself and Emma must seek professional help with her mental health.  The story follows the two friends finding their way back to each other in a healthier, more stable friendship than ever before.

Review: While I am glad to have read Stuck in Her Head, I will say that its representation of mental illness and the possible causes of mental illness is very shallow, and will likely come across as slightly unrealistic and shallow to readers with a basic understanding of mental health.  Aside from that, however, I really enjoyed the novel and its interesting storyline of two friends brought together and torn apart by the same common interest.  I also appreciate the hopeful ending that shows that there is light at the end of the road for those who may have faced the struggles that Naomi and Emma did throughout this story.

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Thematic Elements:  This graphic novel features many thematic elements that students could further analyze and relate to other works and media, as well as their own experiences and lives.

• Parent/Child Relationships
• Sexuality
• Unrequited/Impossible Love
• Anxiety 
• Depression

Essential Questions:

• Should someone stop pursuing a talent that they are very skilled at if it meant they would be happier?
• Why is there so much unease and discomfort surrounding change? 
• Do the decisions we make as teenagers really have that much of an impact on the rest of our lives?
• Is lying ever okay, even if we’re doing so to protect a friend?  Think as though you were the one being lied to, would you want to know the truth?
• Are the depictions of mental health in this novel accurate in your opinion? Why or why not? How could the authors have addressed the issue more appropriately?
• Is distance between friends always a bad thing?
• Did the friendship displayed in this novel make you think of your own friendships? Are there any insights into your friendships that you may have gathered from reading?

Teaching Strategies and Activities:

• As a class, look up real-life statistics revolving around teen mental health.
  • Ask students how this research compares to the representation of mental health in the novel.
  • Ask students why an accurate depiction of mental health may be important.
• Jigsaw Activity
  • As tables of four, students will be counted off into groups that they will separate into.  With their group members, they will read an article/story regarding teen mental health, resources, etc.  Then, students will return to their original tables, where they will go around and share what their article was about with their table mates.
  • Compare and contrast the stories/articles.
• Instruct students to write about a moment in the novel they found relatable (they may write about personal experiences, stories they’ve heard, etc.).  DO NOT label papers with names, but instead with some other non-identifiable mark.
  • The instructor will collect these papers, and then randomly distribute the papers back to the class.
  • Students will write on each other’s papers, reflecting and relating to each other’s experiences.
  • At the end of class, students will find their original paper and review the comments left on it.

Formative/Summative Assessments

Formative Assessments:

• Students will engage in a classroom discussion regarding issues and events that teenagers are likely to face during their time as high schoolers that may negatively impact their mental health.  Students are welcome to share their own experiences during this discussion, but may also participate in other ways like discussing the possible consequences of these issues and how they may be addressed at a teenager’s level.  Students will be graded on participation.

Summative Assessments:

• Students are asked to consider how moments in this novel reminded them of their relationships; this reflection should prompt them to think about what facilitates healthy, stable relationships, but also how problems revolving around their own relationships were solved in the past.  Then, students will write a letter from the perspective of Naomi and Emma apologizing for their actions and explaining what may have prompted them to be upset (letters by “Naomi” should be addressed to Emma, and vice versa).  Students will be graded on their analyses of each character’s emotions and motivations leading up to the friends’ blow-up, as well as incorporating their own problem-solving ideas into the letter as if presenting possible solutions to mend the relationship with the other friend.
• Students are tasked with creating a Public Service Announcement poster regarding mental health, incorporating real-life statistics and resources, but also quotes from the novel that may reflect the feelings surrounding mental illness and seeking help.

Reviewed by Lillian Mantooth, a student at the University of South Florida 

---

Learning to Listen to our Ghosts

The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt 

Publication Date: May 20, 2025 

Publisher: Scholastic Press 

Pages: 288

ISBN: 9781546110538

Genre: middle grade/novel-in-verse

Find on Bookshop

Synopsis: V is used to being different from her friends. She has an entire dresser drawer stuffed full of colorful cartoon socks to prove it. However, following an unfortunate altercation with her middle school art teacher, her mother sends her to spend the summer with her grandmother. Grandma Jojo hates her colorful socks. In fact, Jojo believes that it is high time for her granddaughter to abandon such childish interests. Resigned to the fact that her grandmother will never understand her, V begins to explore the hidden spaces in her grandmother’s home. When she meets a ghost-girl living in the walls, it soon becomes apparent that her grandmother has secrets of her own. In this haunting novel-in-verse, The Girl in the Walls turns the traditional ghost story on its head to examine neurodivergence, generational trauma, and the lingering legacy of institutionalization. 

Review: The Girl in the Wall is a hauntingly beautiful middle-grade novel-in-verse that examines the lasting impact of generational trauma—as well as the painful history of institutionalization—through its unfolding paranormal mystery. When the girl in the walls suggests initiating a series of seemingly harmless pranks, the main character is delighted to have discovered a kindred spirit. However, as these pranks grow more and more sinister in nature, it soon becomes clear to the reader that there is more to the girl in the wall than meets the eye. Indeed, the ghost in this story functions as a means for the protagonist—and the author—to confront past wrongs. In the end, Kuyatt leans into the paranormal genre to ask what it takes to right those wrongs, inviting the reader to imagine a more hopeful future for the neurodivergent community. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use 

Thematic Connections: The Girl in the Wall introduces themes that are certain to make it an important addition to any text-set related to neurodivergent representation: 

• Generational Trauma and Healing 
• Neurodivergence and Autism 
• Masking and Social Camouflaging 
• The History of Institutionalization 

Essential Questions: 

• Why do individuals wear masks, both literal and metaphorical, to conceal their identities? 
• How does the history of institutionalization continue to shape social perceptions of neurodivergence? 
• What steps can individuals take to begin to heal from generational trauma? 

Teaching Strategies and Activities:

• Artful Assemblages: In this multimodal assignment, students will explore the concept of assemblage as an art form. Early in the novel, Cat describes assemblage as an artform where discarded items are transformed into something beautiful. Using recycled household items, students will create an assemblage that represents one of the main characters in the novel: V, Jojo, or Cat. Their assemblage should use found objects to represent various character traits. Alongside their assemblage, students will write a reflective paragraph to explain their choices and how their work connects to key passages from the novel. 
• Poetry for Multiple Voices: This creative writing assignment invites students to explore the use of poetic form, specifically focusing on two-voice poetry. Throughout the novel, Kuyatt uses distinct formatting to create poems with multiple voices. After studying these poems, students will analyze additional works, including selections from Joyful Noise by Paul Fleishman. Students will then interview someone from a different generation—such as a parent, guardian, or community member—to learn about their childhood. Using this information, students will craft their own two-voice poem that enters into dialogue with the person they interviewed. 

• We Wear the Mask: In this assignment, students will explore the concept of masking, or social camouflaging. Begin by reading “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The lesson should foreground the poem’s historical context, before explaining how masking extends to neurodivergence. While everyone masks at times, neurodivergent individuals often mask more frequently in social situations to avoid judgement. Invite students to consider the metaphorical masks that various characters wear throughout The Girl in the Walls. Then invite students to craft poetry about their own metaphorical masks. Teachers might encourage students to experiment with pastiche, an approach that invites students to imitate the style, tone, and techniques found in “We Wear the Mask.” 
• Hidden Histories: In this activity, students will research the history of public psychiatric hospitals using teacher-curated informational texts. Given the sensitivity of the topic, teachers should take great care to ensure that these articles are grounded in research that avoids reproducing ableist assumptions. Instead, the purpose of this assignment is to help students better understand how the history of institutionalization continues to shape social perceptions of neurodivergent individuals. The Girl in the Walls includes an important character who was institutionalized prior to the start of the novel. Through their research into these hidden histories, students will be able to better understand Grandma Jojo and her motivations throughout much of the narrative.

Formative/Summative Assessments

Formative Assessment: The Girl in the Walls withholds a considerable amount of information from the reader at first. Since the mystery in the novel unfolds gradually, teachers might encourage students to track potential clues as they read through double-entry journal entries. The double-entry journal method gives students the opportunity to enter into a dialogue with the text: the left side of the double-entry journal includes quoted passages from the text, while the right side includes student commentary on those passages. This active reading strategy can be used to encourage cognitive reading skills, including asking questions, making predictions, and drawing inferences. These skills are particularly important when reading narratives that require a high tolerance for ambiguity, including many novels-in-verse. 

Summative Assessment: There are multiple directions that a teacher could take in terms of a summative assessment for this novel, including the traditional literary analysis essay. Teachers might leverage traditional approaches to invite students to analyze the intersections between poetic form and character development. For those interested in a more creative approach to assessment, students could also produce their own illustrated poetry chapbooks in response to themes found in the novel. The chapbook approach merges the creative and the critical, giving students the opportunity to engage in multimodal writing practices as they work to produce their own published poetry collections. 

Reviewed by Ashlynn Wittchow, Assistant Professor of English Education, Louisiana State University 

---

Navigating a New School and Family Loss

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon

 

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books 

Publish Date: August 18, 2020  

Page Count: 336 

ISBN: 978-1534438248 

Genre: YA Contemporary, Realistic Fiction 

Find on Bookshop

Synopsis: Liliana is a 15-year-old girl who just started a new school, in suburban Boston. Liliana has to travel every day from the city of Boston to the suburb of Westburg, she is part of a school desegregation program called METCO and Liliana only agrees to go because she knows it is what her father would want her to do because she knows the education and opportunities in Westburg could help her get into college. Liliana knows that METCO is a great opportunity but fitting in and being accepted even by her fellow METCO peers is more difficult than she anticipated. While Lilana is learning how to navigate a new school, she learns that the reason why her dad has been gone for so long, he was deported back to Guatemala. Liliana juggles the new school, family responsibilities, new and old friendships while trying to figure out who she is and how she fits in at school along with how well she wants her new friends to really know who she is and where she is from.  

Review: Don’t Ask Me Where does well at showing representation on children of immigrant parents, specifically parents from Central America. The additional difficulties and worries of having undocumented parents while still trying to balance everyday life and appear like a normal American teen is shown through Liliana and her experiences at her new school. The everyday microaggression that people of color often experience are as subtle as they are in real life but through Liliana it can be seen how impactful, hurtful and othering they can feel.  

Essential Questions for Teaching 

• How can I promote a sense of belonging for marginalized individuals? 
• How can we understand perspectives and identities that are different from our own? 

Culturally Responsive Strategies 

Do the activity found in chapter 31 and ask students the following questions: 

• What is it you want us to know about you in terms of race and culture? 
• What is something you never want to hear again? 
• How can we be allies and assist you? 

Formative/Summative Assessments

Summative Assessments 

Write a letter, speech, or article that answers the following question: 

How will I promote a sense of belonging for marginalized individuals within my community?_________________________________________________

In your research and writing, choose some of the following supporting questions to answer.  

• What is my community like now? What are some of the experiences of marginalized people in my community that show your community’s overall sense of belonging (or lack thereof)? 
• What do I hope for my community in the future? What would a community with a stronger sense of belonging look like? How can I contribute and make that possible? 
• What is my call to action to other community members? What do I hope they also do to improve sense of belonging? 
• What organizations can I contribute to in order to improve sense of belonging in my community? What can I do to support these organizations? 

The audience for work should be a specific person or group of people you want to encourage to take action and that will hold you accountable to your planned actions. Choose who this will be and plan to share your polished final product with them at the end of the project.  

 Reviewed by Alicia Lawson

---

A Middle Grade Fantastical Journey Through Colombian Folklore

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejia by Alexandra Alessandri

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: Feb. 21, 2023

Page Count: 213

ISBN: 978-1-6659-1705-6

Genre: Fantasy

Buy on Bookshop

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old aspiring artist Valentina Mejia has grown up listening to her father’s stories of Colombian folklore: tales of magic and monsters that once roamed the Colombian lands many years ago. Her father believes such creatures still exist and wishes to find them with Valentina and her kid brother Julian, much to Valentina’s dismay. One day, during an expedition in the mountains, a terrible earthquake strikes, hurting Valentina’s father and trapping both her and Julian in a dark cave. With no other options, the duo travels deeper underground and discovers that the mythical beings of Colombia are, in fact, real. With no other way to return home and aid their father, Valentina and Julian must travel across a forgotten land of magic to seek an audience with the only person who can help: Madremonte’, Mother Mountain, protector of the Earth. The novel within itself is a great starter for students who love reading, who love the idea of understanding that it is ok to write about their life via using the mythology of their countries and integrating it within their made-up characters. Which is a lovely novel as I myself love to read and write but not to use my real name or others in my life as a form to keep a bit more privacy. 

Review: Alessandri uses Colombian mythos in this middle-grade fantasy novel to challenge and critique the causes of violence and environmental destruction in South America. By situating the magical causes and effects of these themes alongside the real-world issues, Alessandri opens the door for middle-grade readers to be able to compare and contrast the fantastical elements with their reality, becoming aware of how they might fit into a world where violence and the environment are increasingly important parts of their lived-in experiences.

Thematic Connections: 

• Guerrilla
• Warfare
• Paramilitaries
• Drug Lords
• Government
• Terrorism
• Deforestation and Climate Change’s Effects on Wildlife
• Plastic Pollution’s Effect on Ocean Wildlife

Essential Questions:

• Why should the United States be more accepting of immigrants at our Southern border?
• What effects can macro-level government policies have on micro-level people like Valentina’s father?
• Why should we care about what happens to the Amazon rainforest?
• Why should we care about plastic pollution?

Culturally responsive and sustaining teaching strategies 

Allow students to critique and analyze societal inequities by drawing a Venn diagram to compare and contrast things in the real world and things that happened in the book. However, students can also be a bit argumentative so they could also do a Socratic seminar. 

• Socratic Seminar Questions:
  • What lessons have you learned from the main character? How and why are they important?
  • What do you think the main character(s) should have done?
  • Can you think of ways the main character(s) should react to certain situations that happen?

Formative/Summative Assessments

Formative: Students can create maps of Tierra de los Olvidados, Land of the Forgotten, in their writer’s notebooks. They can track Valentina’s and Julian’s progress as they read chapters each week, noting where the characters are and what happens in the novel when violence and the environment are mentioned.

• First, students will gather all materials needed (writer’s notebook, pencil/pen, highlighter, and book
• Read the chapter assigned for the week and highlight important key details as you follow along the main charters adventure.
• Draw a map to point out where they end up in and small details to who they meet or what they do.
• Lastly, students can share their completed maps, comparing what they each noted about violence and the environment as they read. As a class, they can compile everything they learned onto an anchor chart, which can remain on the classroom wall as a reference to these themes in this unit and others.

Summative: Depending on the unit or how the book is taught to the student, they could have a quiz/test about the book where it concludes everything they have learned. Optional: write an essay about personal experiences or how they relate to the character in the novel which will be as heavily weighted as the quiz/test.

Reviewed by Ximena Rangel 

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

Find on Bookshop

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 

Find on Bookshop

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: 

1. How did your research process, tools, and techniques differ from those Peggy used in the novel? Which would you prefer to use?
2. 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.
3. 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?
4. 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

The Black Experience in Fiction & Nonfiction Young Adult Literature

Head here to read more about this month’s ALAN Picks!

---

Learn more by heading here: https://alan-ya.org/publications/the-alan-review-tar/