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

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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

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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 

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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

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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 

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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 

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 

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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.

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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
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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

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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
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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!

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

In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature several books that will appeal to students who may be interested in the thriller, mystery and/or horror genres. This column also features several Indigenous authors to help you prepare for National Native American Heritage Month. Man Made Monster by Andrea L. Rogers is a YA collection of horror stories that follows a Cherokee family through multiple generations into the future. Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline is a YA coming of age story that features ghosts and friendships. If you are a fan of Knives Out, you may be interested in the YA mystery The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning. The YA mystery Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards tackles the topic of PTSD and trauma. YA thriller We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado examines the dark side of society through the lens of horror. 

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

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Cherokee Stories of Monsters, 

Real and Imagined 

Man Made Monster by  Andrea L. Rogers 

Book Details 

Publisher: Levine Querido 

Publish Date: October 2022 

Page Count: 315 

ISBN: 978-1-64614 

Genre: YA, Horror, Speculative Fiction 

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Synopsis: A collection of horror stories that follows a Cherokee family line across generations. Monsters such as werewolves, vampires, and deer women exist alongside the terror of science experimentation, cultural appropriation, and the danger of going on dates. The collection begins with Ama Wilson on the Trail of Tears, whose forced relocation becomes secondary to her turn to a creature of the night. This sets off the horror collections’ genius interconnection between fictional horror and historical atrocities. Though each story could stand alone, the mastery of the collection is their interconnected nature and connection to the Wilson family tree. 

Review: Andrea L. Rogers is masterful, taking up space in the horror renaissance among Indigenous authors. Throughout the collection, the family tree, provided at the beginning, and each chapter’s vivid Cherokee art from Jeff Edwards draws readers into the stories’ themes. The haunting storytelling includes first, third, and even second person perspective in a chilling narrative style. The stories are engaging and inspire student interest! I would recommend it for grades 10 and above. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use: 

As a senior English teacher, I use Man Made Monsters as a mentor text for students’ own Horror Stories at the conclusion of our Horror Unit. Students study Frankenstein and Dracula in graphic novel format through a Monster Theory lens from Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. While reading Frankenstein, students investigated the history of medical experimentation and sterilization of Native American people. These are the essential questions we pose in our study: 

• Whose voices are included in classroom study? 
• How has science experimentation gone too far? 
• How do Native American storytellers tell stories? 
• What is the literary canon and why do we study it? 
• How might our history impact the present? 
• Who are the monsters within us? 
• What do monsters represent? 

Teaching Strategies and Activities 

Create Horror Stories using literary techniques: The goal of this activity is for students to evaluate storytelling techniques in a selection of short stories from the collection that are directly inspired by Dracula and Frankenstein. This evaluation is meant to help them create their own horror stories using those same narrative techniques. 

Select a few horror stories and offer choice to students. Before giving choice, you can select one of these to teach the whole class first, showing them what markers they should look for while reading. The short stories I selected are: 

● “An Old Fashion Girl” -Begins the collection and links to Dracula 

● “Man Made Monsters”-Titular to collection and links to Frankenstein

● “Lens” -This story approaches medical experimentation head on, connecting to our study of it in class. 

● “Shame on the Moon” -This story has a vampire and werewolf face off, which resonates with students from their experience with Twilight. 

● “American Predators” -This story masterfully is in second person, as the protagonist is not Cherokee. 

As students read the short story, have them annotate for narrative techniques, such as flashback, multiple storylines, and point of view shifts. After reading, students should choose how they will engage with this mentor text as inspiration for their own horror story. Create a choice menu for students to choose from as a formative assessment, making sure to let them know they have to have a narrative technique in their writing. 

Mentor Text Engagements
Personal Connections	Letter to the Author	Interview a Character
Prequel or Sequel	Retell from another point of view	Background of a character

Background Research Groups & Text Pairings 

While teaching The Marrow Thieves, students return to this collection. Students are expected to research a background topic and present it to the class. After presenting, students could tie their topic with a theme from the book, such as Trail of Tears with Ama’s story or Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women with Ama’s Boys. The goal is to demonstrate how authors use historical events to enrich their narratives. 

Reviewed by: Jaid Wehrenberg, 12th Grade English Teacher at Ogden High School and English Education Masters student at Weber State University, Ogden, UT.

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A Haunting Story of Friendship and Coming of Age

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline

Book Details 

Publisher: Tundra Books 

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Page Count: 272

ISBN: 9780735265639

Genre: YA, Magical Realism

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Synopsis: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls follows Winifred, a 16-year-old girl who lives with her father and obese dog in the Winterson Cemetery. She’s an outcast, “weird,” and determined to save the cemetery so she and her father can stay in their apartment on the property. After a few accidental “ghost sightings,” in which Winifred was mistaken for the ghost, a local ghost tour expresses interest in adding Winterson to their route. Winifred believes this may be the key to saving her home, especially after befriending a real ghost, Phil, on the property. Winifred must decide to exploit her new friend to save the cemetery or risk losing everything. 

Review: Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is a beautifully written and haunting story. Winifred’s goals are realistic and understandable. She reads exactly like a teenage girl just trying to figure herself out. Winifred’s recurring grief for her aunt and her mother (among others) and the loss of an important friendship are both portrayed with care and gentleness. The pacing is slow as the story is more focused on character development than on plot. Overall, deeply personal, and poignant, with writing that conveys the trials and beauty of growing up as a girl. This novel would be perfect for book clubs in a classroom. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use   

Thematic Connections: 

The themes in this book can resonate with all teenagers but would be best suited for teenage girls. They touch on grief, loss, and death, while also incorporating the narrative of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and cultural appropriation within the storyline. 

• Grief and Loss
• Coming of age
• Belonging
• Identity
• Mental Health
• Sexuality, LGBTQ+

Essential Questions

• How does our sense of self develop based on where we live and where we grow up?
• How does a sense of belonging factor into identity?
• How does belonging to a specific culture or community shape our identity?

Teaching Strategies and Activities to Use:

• Research and discussion about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW)
• Discussion about the use of cultural appropriation in the novel, how it’s used and by whom.
• Pair with texts that address grief, loss, and coming-of-age.
• Discussion and research about OCD and mental illness; encourage students to explore how the character’s condition influences her actions, decisions, and behavior, especially in terms of coping strategies. 
• Create a ghost tour advertisement based on the new addition of the Winterson Cemetery.

Formative/Summative Assessments

Formative: 

• Reading Journals: reflections on passages, scenes, characters, and/or how students feel while reading the novel. Possible prompts could include character analysis, theme exploration, chapter summaries, symbolism analysis, theme exploration, personal connections, author’s craft, and/or predictions for the story’s resolution.

Summative: 

• One-Pager
  • Identify themes, important concepts, and quotes and give a review of the book.
  • Epilogue Expansion: What is Winifred’s new home and life like?
  • Alternate Universe: What would Phil’s life be like if she made it back home? OR What would Winifred’s life be like if her mother didn’t die?

Reviewed by: Mackenzie Pfund, English Education Student at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI

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Knives Out with a Salem Witch Trial-esque Twist

The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

Book Details 

Publisher: Tor Publishing

Publication Date: September 2024

Page Count: 386

ISBN: 978-1-250-84106-3 

Genre: YA Fantasy & Mystery

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Synopsis: The Lies We Conjure takes place in Colorado, following Ruby (17) and Wren (16) Jourdain as they delve into a new fantastical world of witches, bloodlines, and family politics. Ruby and Wren are invited to a prestigious dinner at Hegemony Manor by a strange old woman who asks them to pretend to be her two granddaughters who haven’t been seen by the family in 10 years since they moved to London. The two girls agree to Marsyas Blackgate’s terms, being convinced by the $4,000 payment, and enter the world of the Four Lines. Soon after the three arrive at the party, the host, Ursula Hegemony, is murdered, and the manor is magically locked down until the attendees can solve the murder and locate the four relics that provide the power to each family’s line: the Blood relic for the Cerises, the Celestial relic for the Starwoods, the Elemental relic for the Hegemonys, and the Death relic for the Blackgates. However, the families only have 3 days, or they are stuck in the manor forever. Things get more complicated when Marsyas vanishes, and Ruby and Wren are left stranded with 13 witches who have no idea that they are two human girls with no magical ability whatsoever. The novel takes on a fantastical murder-mystery plot, and as the story progresses, family drama becomes unveiled and people continue to be murdered. By the end, the head of each family has been killed by Marsyas and only the teenagers are left. The novel concludes with a dramatic standoff between Ruby, Wren, the Four Lines teenagers, and the real Blackgate sisters. 

Review: Henning’s novel is a Knives Out-esque story with a Salem witch-trials influence. She includes themes like family trauma, abuse, deception, innocence, and coming-of-age. For those who enjoy a good fantasy novel, I think these themes and this plot would be really appealing, especially for a YA audience. Pairing the fantasy genre with serious themes like abuse and familial trauma is impactful to young readers. Henning’s novel is written in two different POVs, Ruby’s and Auden Hegemony’s. The switching of point of view helps propel the narrative, while also providing two very different perspectives for the readers, with Ruby’s human “other” perspective, and Auden’s witch perspective. It helps add to the stress of Ruby and Wren trying to stay hidden in plain sight, while also adding to the drama, as the reader is experiencing the witch politics first-hand with Auden’s POV. I think regarding the character development, the effort is there. We see development through a lot of the more secondary characters, but I struggled to see development in our two protagonists. Overall, this book is fun and enjoyable, and fit for older YA readers. It has some strong language, which leans a little more to the older YA side, but no inappropriate themes or scenes that would make it too adult. There is a lot of ambiguity in the characters, with Henning leaving things like race and ethnicity up for interpretation, allowing space for all readers to find themselves in the pages. There is also LGBTQ+ inclusion in this novel, with a non-binary character and various queer characters. This book is perfect for high schoolers, whether it is read inside or outside of the classroom. 

Thematic Connections & Essential Questions:

• Family and Family Trauma: How do we define family? Does “family” have to be related to you? What are some ways we cope with family trauma? How can we help those struggling with family trauma?
• Abuse: How can we identify abuse? Does abuse have to be physical to be recognized by outsiders? What can we do to help those struggling with abusive relationships?
• Deception: What is the motivation behind deceit? Are the villains the only deceitful characters? In which scenarios is it okay to lie? How should we distinguish between “evil” deceit and “good” deceit? Should we punish deceit? 
• Innocence: Can people be purely innocent or purely guilty? Does lying make you guilty?
• Coming of Age: How do our character’s values change over the novel? What marks the transition from childhood to adulthood? How have we changed in the last month? In the last 6 months? In the last year?

Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Teaching Strategies:

• Conspiracy Theorist Photo Wall: Throughout the novel, we will add to our “conspiracy theorist” photo wall with red string to try and figure out who killed Ursula and why. We will add different important facts, like the locations of the murders, the motives, and the different families and their defining characteristics. 
• New POV Scene: Students will develop scenes from the book from a character’s point of view that the readers don’t get. This activity allows students to generate their own stories, backgrounds, values, and ideas for more minor characters in the novel. Students have to fit the parameters the novel sets, but otherwise, they have free reign over their stories.

Formative and Summative Assessments:

• Formative: At various points throughout the novel, students will draft up “Whodunnit” reports, arguing for a murderer and supporting their argument with evidence from the text. 
• Summative: Students will perform a debate on who is truly guilty at the end of the novel. Half of the class will support the Blackgates and the other half will support the Hegemonys. This debate is meant to develop an understanding of guilt vs innocence, and how the definitions of “good” and “evil” can change depending on perspective. 

Abigail Leary Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, undergraduate preservice teacher 

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A Story of PTSD and Trauma 

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards 

Book Details 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 

Publish Date: May 2, 2023 

Page Count: 336 

ISBN: 9781728215815 

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller 

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Synopsis: Jo and her six friends and co-workers are teens working at a shopping mall movie theater; their uptight, adult manager is the only one not part of the friend circle. This night will be the last that any of them have to deal with their manager anymore, as the theater is closing for good while the mall is under construction. Jo, eager to leave, is riddled with anxiety as she spots her temperamental manager in possession of a gun. After this, everything goes downhill as the lights go out and the first dead body is discovered. This story follows Jo and her friends as they struggle to escape the mall with all of the exits blocked off due to poor construction safety. As they run around the mall looking for a way out, they also have to stay clear of the murder on the loose. This experience causes Jo to relive and fight through her traumatic past to escape with her friends. 

Review: Natalie Richards created a very engaging and thrilling novel that follows a main character who struggles with PTSD from a traumatic event in her past. The author does a great job of displaying how Jo’s PTSD affects her thoughts and decisions in a life-threatening situation. There were many other issues touched upon that display the issues of today. Inappropriate relationships, health disorders, and mental disorders are all touched upon in this novel in ways that are extremely important to the plot.

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use 

Thematic Elements: 

● Gun violence 

● PTSD/Mental Health Issues 

● Murder 

● Cheating 

● Adult/minor relationship (grooming) 

● Physical Health Issues 

Essential Questions: 

● How can someone’s past experience influence how they treat others? 

● How can someone’s past trauma affect how they react during a traumatic event? 

Teaching Strategies and Activities: 

● Student-led discussion of mental health 

● Reading about PTSD from trusted sources 

● Reading short stories or watching short films/movies on PTSD 

Formative Assessments: 

● Write a short mystery/thriller narrative 

● Journal entries on the depictions of mental health issues in the story 

Summative Assessments: 

A final project of the student’s chosen medium where they explore one of the main themes in the story: PTSD/mental health, gun violence, murder, etc. They talk about the instances in the book where this theme is in the spotlight and conduct research on the theme to connect the real world with the novel. 

Reviewed By: Jadzia Colon, an undergraduate English Education major at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL.

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An Exploration of Society Through the Horror Lens

We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado 

Book Details 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 

Publish Date: May 30, 2023

Page Count: 320 

ISBN: 9781728280103

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror

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Synopsis:  When Bronwyn’s family makes the move to her father’s hometown, she is hopeful that she will adjust well. With help from her cousin Anais, and the occasional swim to help her take the edge off, she is sure she can remain sane for the short year she’d be living in Hillwood.  What she doesn’t know is, her love for swimming has made her a target due to the town’s number one rule, “We don’t swim here.” Bronwyn doesn’t follow the rules, and that may just get her killed.

Review: Vincent Tirado’s We Don’t Swim Here was an intriguing read. At no point in the story did you know what was coming next. Tirado held an important conversation about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance, and the extreme lengths that people will go to uphold their beliefs. I would not suggest the story for lower middle grades, but it would be a great read for upper middle to high schoolers. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use 

Themes:

• Race
• Prejudice
• Sexism
• Revenge

Character Analysis/ Autopsy 

Essential Questions:

• What does water symbolize in the text? 
• Why would Bronwyn’s interrupt the status quo of HIllwood? 
• How may the setting impact the theme of the story? 
• Why was it important for Bronwyn to be chosen by Sweetie? 

Formative:

Although the story is very fast paced, the reader is able to get a decent sense of each of the main character’s personalities and their perspectives. Students will be able to show their understanding of each character’s growth throughout the story through the Venn diagram, in which they will have to compare each character’s development throughout the story. 

Summative:

Because there is a significant amount of horror in the story, students will enjoy an autopsy report of either Bronwyn, Sweetie, or Anais. As they are completing the report, they will complete a brief essay in which they will have to analyze their character and describe whether or not they believe the actions displayed by their character throughout the text are just or unjust based on textual evidence. 

Reviewed by: Faith Young