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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
pure literature told in the form of semi-feral teens in Australia. made me sob uncontrollably when I read it for the first time at 15, and again today. a giant of YA contemporary lit that hopefully never fades into obscurity, because everyone deserves to have the chance to read this. I definitely don’t want to be Taylor Markham, but I do want what she has.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Confusing narrative that picked up at the end. Wish there was more to everyone else's stories instead of focusing so much on the main character because they had more layers.
Taylor Markham is visited many nights by a young boy in her dreams. She tells him her stories, stories about the children at her school and the manuscript Hannah has written about five friends. Hannah found Taylor when she was eleven and abandoned by her drug-addicted mother on Jellicoe Road. At seventeen, Taylor has been chosen as the leader of her boarding school dorm and their leader in the territory wars with the Cadets and the Townies. Soon Taylor’s memories and questions about her past begin to overtake her duties and she finds herself relying on some of her sworn enemies for the answers.
funny and interesting and confusing and heartbreaking. completely heartbreaking. really enjoyed this a lot. cried SO much. i really want to read more by marchetta now.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a good read - thought provoking, suspensful, sad, happy and hopeful. The characters were ones that most teens could relate to and care about. I definitely want to read more by this author.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
VOYA Codes: S, 5Q, 3P.
Jellicoe Road was simply one of the best books that I read for this class, or within the last year. I am a sucker for braided narratives; they read like a mystery novel for me. This was a great one. I found myself jotting notes to try to figure out how the plot lines connected long before it was evident there was much of a connection. I think that once students get into it (it does take a while for some, although I was instantly hooked) they will feel the same and try to think about how it will fit as well.
So, assuming that not all teens are as into that aspect as I am, why else would this appeal to students? The novel begins with a brutal accident, one that can't help but make you root for the children who were left behind.
On the other hand, the book is full of the closest types of friendships forming... The kinds of friendships that become family, whether out of need (as is shown here) or just because everyone needs that kind of bond. High school students are beginning to experience that, and to see groups of peers so passionate about friendship is something everyone can relate to... even if it's just something they have always wanted.
However, I quickly learned that not everyone was as invested in reading this book as I was. Many of my classmates found the first hundred or so pages to be very confusing and therefore lost interest. For this reason, I would only really recommend it to students who love to read already. In addition, the "war" seems really pointless. Yes, it is explained later in the novel, but it actually makes most reviews sound like it's a science fiction novel or something, and it isn't at all. I think that this plot device, and the scant purpose for it, would distract and annoy many readers.
The biggest asset to the best young adult literature is a believable cast of characters, and Marchetta is a little bit hit-or-miss on this one. Some, such as Taylor & Hannah, are incredibly believable. On the other hand, because so little is really known about all of the older cast of characters (particularly Fritz and Jude), these sometimes come off as flat characters, barely more than cardboard stand-ins.
To encourage students to read this novel, I would suggest it readily to those who are fans of John Green's Looking for Alaska. Like that already-popular novel, Jellicoe Road addresses boundaries (perhaps more literally) and finding oneself, as well as coping with losses and finding meaning in others. Additionally, the more I read, the more Narnie reminded me of Melinda Sorvino in Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak. I was relieved to see that like Melinda, Narnie pulled herself together when crisis dictated that need.
Jellicoe Road was simply one of the best books that I read for this class, or within the last year. I am a sucker for braided narratives; they read like a mystery novel for me. This was a great one. I found myself jotting notes to try to figure out how the plot lines connected long before it was evident there was much of a connection. I think that once students get into it (it does take a while for some, although I was instantly hooked) they will feel the same and try to think about how it will fit as well.
So, assuming that not all teens are as into that aspect as I am, why else would this appeal to students? The novel begins with a brutal accident, one that can't help but make you root for the children who were left behind.
On the other hand, the book is full of the closest types of friendships forming... The kinds of friendships that become family, whether out of need (as is shown here) or just because everyone needs that kind of bond. High school students are beginning to experience that, and to see groups of peers so passionate about friendship is something everyone can relate to... even if it's just something they have always wanted.
However, I quickly learned that not everyone was as invested in reading this book as I was. Many of my classmates found the first hundred or so pages to be very confusing and therefore lost interest. For this reason, I would only really recommend it to students who love to read already. In addition, the "war" seems really pointless. Yes, it is explained later in the novel, but it actually makes most reviews sound like it's a science fiction novel or something, and it isn't at all. I think that this plot device, and the scant purpose for it, would distract and annoy many readers.
The biggest asset to the best young adult literature is a believable cast of characters, and Marchetta is a little bit hit-or-miss on this one. Some, such as Taylor & Hannah, are incredibly believable. On the other hand, because so little is really known about all of the older cast of characters (particularly Fritz and Jude), these sometimes come off as flat characters, barely more than cardboard stand-ins.
To encourage students to read this novel, I would suggest it readily to those who are fans of John Green's Looking for Alaska. Like that already-popular novel, Jellicoe Road addresses boundaries (perhaps more literally) and finding oneself, as well as coping with losses and finding meaning in others. Additionally, the more I read, the more Narnie reminded me of Melinda Sorvino in Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak. I was relieved to see that like Melinda, Narnie pulled herself together when crisis dictated that need.
For the first 200 pages I wasn't sure what I was reading, but once the two stories started to merge, I couldn't stop reading--I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. If you read it, don't give up or give in to the strange structure--I think it is worth it to stick with it.