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.
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– Richetta Tooley, ALAN Picks Editor
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
