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mlwl 's review for:
On the Jellicoe Road
by Melina Marchetta
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.