Realistic Fiction: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Green, John. (2012). The Fault In Our Stars. New York, NY: Dutton Books. ISBN 9781101569184

Summary

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green follows the teenage life of Hazel Lancaster, a sixteen year old fighting stage IV thyroid cancer. Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a handsome seventeen year old, at a cancer support group for people ages 12 to 18. Augustus and Hazel experience friendship, heartache, romance, disappointment, survival, and hope in this heart-wrenching, yet, endearing tale of true love and finding oneself.

Analysis

The Fault In Our Stars takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana and mentions real locations throughout the city, making the story more authentic to the reader. Descriptions provided of churches, homes, and hospitals are vivid, giving the reader an opportunity for realistic visualizations. The story takes us on many a roller coaster ride, with emotions teetering between excitement and frustration, tears rolling from sad to happy.  More than one climactic moment occurs, keeping the reader glued with every page turn.  

Hazel, the protagonist, is a bit of a homebody at the beginning of the story. After meeting special friends like Augustus and Isaac in the support group, she evolves into a well-rounded sixteen year old, finally finding herself among her friends and loved ones. Augustus, who becomes Hazel’s boyfriend, brings out the best in many characters. Augustus’ feelings and actions remain stagnant throughout the story, even when his circumstances change. Parents and friends of Hazel and Augustus play important roles in shaping who they are and who they become.

The most effective aspect of this book is the realness provided by the characters through Green’s exquisite writing. Throughout her struggle, Hazel talks of “cancer perks” but also recognizes the effects her illness has on others, whether it’s her parents, friends, or outsiders.  The story covers the actuality of a teenager’s life from home life to friendship to romance, yet it portrays their lives in a different light because of the sicknesses the majority of the characters face. Many times, the characters refer to things as being “side effects” whether it is to cancer, life, or death. They recognize the difficulties they face with their diseases, yet they provide us with realistic accounts of what happens in a teenager’s life, from the dynamics of friendships changing to the heartache that comes along with a break-up. Because of Green’s realistic writing, the reader can’t help but feel for each character and the struggles and triumphs they endure each day.

Dialogue between the characters is natural and mostly believable. There are points where the language used by the characters seems unrealistic, a little too advanced for sixteen and seventeen year olds, but Green’s writing reminds us of how insightful they are. Phrases like “the world is not a wish-granting factory” are repeated throughout the story. This repetitive language emphasizes the longing they have for a “normal” life. Regardless of the both triumphant and sorrowful events,   the story teaches the reader that love can get someone through the toughest of times, that there’s more to someone than just their “cancer story”, and that “grief does not change you, it reveals you.”

Personal Response

I was able to make personal connections with the setting. As previously mentioned, the book takes place in Indianapolis, where much of my family lives. Hazel talks of going to the Castleton Mall, a shopping center where my own sister works, and Broad Ripple, an area of town where a cousin of mine resides. Being able to picture these actual locations made the story all the more real to me.

Immediately after finishing the book, I felt very disheartened. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for my health that I’ve been so lucky to have. Even though these are fictional characters, I felt as if they were my friends experiencing these life changing diseases. After a few days of reflection, I was able to appreciate the literature for its realism and feel less depressed. Regardless of my sad feelings, I would highly recommend this book to others, but I’d advise them to read it with a box of Kleenex!

Reviews and Awards

Booklist starred 01/01/12

Horn Book starred 03/01/12

Kirkus Reviews starred 01/15/12

Library Media Connection starred 08/01/12

“Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph.”- Booklist

“Intelligent vocabulary, generous references to literature, and witty cultural commentary make this a delight to read and a refreshing, sophisticated addition to the field of YA literature.”- Library Media Connection

“Green seamlessly bridges the gap between the present and the existential, and readers will need more than one box of tissues to make it through Hazel and Gus' poignant journey.” –Kirkus Reviews

Connections

John Green has written several books for young adult readers. His work lends itself well to an author study.

Looking for Alaska

An Abundance of Katherines

Paper Towns

Will Grayson

There may be students within a school or nearby who are facing the same realities as the characters in the story. Cancer fighters and survivors could be invited to share their experiences with students in the school. 

Fantasy: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Stead, Rebecca. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York, Random House, Inc. ISBN 9780385737425

Summary

When You Reach Me is the tale of Miranda, a twelve year old in New York who receives mysterious letters from an unknown person from the future. As time passes and more letters arrive, Miranda loses touch with her friend Sal, harvests new friendships with Annemarie and Colin, and helps her mom practice for her appearance on “The $20,000 Pyramid”.

Analysis

When You Reach Me is set in New York City in the 1970’s. The apartment in which Miranda and her mother lived is often described as dilapidated, something that a poor, single mother and child would often experience. Miranda and her friends are very aware of their surroundings. References to the dangerous nature of the New York streets help the reader visualize the locations described. Many things take place on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue, a significant location in the story. Jimmy’s sandwich shop also plays an important role in the story.

Each character plays a very special role in the story. Our protagonist, Miranda, is an optimistic child who gives anyone a chance. She’s heartbroken when her best friend, Sal, stops speaking to her, only to learn later that he just wanted time to make more friends. In their time apart, Miranda herself makes new friends, Annemarie and Colin. Her dislike for Julia, a somewhat dislikeable character in the story, changes when she sees the longing for an old friend in Julia’s eyes, something Miranda understands. Proof that she will befriend anyone, Miranda spends some time with Marcus, a boy who unexpectedly punches Sal. She also gives the crazy “laughing man” on the corner a chance. Miranda also has endearing relationships with her mother’s boyfriend, Richard, and a girl at school named Alice who has peculiar bathroom needs.

The plot follows an interesting path. Through most of the story, the events are realistic, making it hard to grasp the idea of it being a science fiction novel. Once the letters begin to appear as if from the future, the sci-fi notion is easier for the reader to understand. The climax blows the reader away, making odd connections to events that happened throughout the entire story and tying unexpected characters together.

Miranda never gives up on her feelings about time travel, even when challenged by other characters. Their beliefs help the reader feel as if this truly could happen. Stead’s quirky writing makes the reader feel as if time travel is truly possible. Her words also make us cheer for Miranda during her triumphs and tribulations.

Miranda’s perseverance is eminent in many aspects of her life…through maintaining friendships, supporting family, and searching to find the truth to the mysterious letters. Themes of friendship and independence are also present.

Personal Response

                                                 

Because of the mostly realistic nature of the story, I had difficulties following. When the story reached the climax, I found myself looking back toward the beginning of the story, piecing together every bit of the puzzle. Although it is sometimes confusing, the endearing story would be a great read for students who are into mysterious, eventful novels.

Reviews and Awards

2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Winner
2010 John Newbery Medal Winner

“Charmingly eccentric and impossible to categorize, this middle grade novel pays homage to Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time while employing many of that book's elements as it crisscrosses the boundaries between reality and fantasy, time travel and mystery.” –Uma Krishnaswami, Children's Literature

“Some might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to the beginning and say, "Wow...cool." – Kirkus Reviews

“The story's revelations are startling and satisfying but quietly made. Their reverberations give plenty of impetus for readers to go back and catch what was missed.” –Horn Book Starred

Connections

The science fiction nature of When You Reach Me stems from the time travel involved in the story. Students can be inspired to write their own tale of time travel, only they need to travel not for the benefit of themselves, but for someone else’s well being. It can be totally fictional or based on one of their own life events.

Rebecca Stead’s writing in When You Reach Me is very endearing. Students can fall in love with more of her characters by reading another one of her books:

                First Light

                Liar and Spy

Fantasy/Graphic Novel: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka

Krosoczka, Jarrett J. (2009). Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute. New York: Random House, Inc. ISBN 9780375946837

Summary                                           

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is a fanciful graphic novel illustrating the secret identity of the school lunch lady. When substitutes begin showing up at school, creating unreasonable assignments for students, the Lunch Lady digs deep to find out what’s really going on. Students named Hector, Dee, and Terrence secretly follow the Lunch Lady in hopes of finding out more about her. They learn of her secret identity and witness her heroic efforts to save the students from the evil cyborg substitutes.

Analysis

This Lunch Lady tale appropriately takes place in a school. Regular facets of a school are included, however, there is a special boiler room where the Lunch Lady and her friend and sidekick, Betty, develop their ideas and contraptions.

Characters are comical and fit the typical good vs. evil nature of comic books. Hector, Dee, and Terrence are curious schoolchildren who are fascinated by their lunch lady. Lunch Lady herself is a hilarious character, fighting crime with kitchen gadgets and puns. The cyborg, Mr. Pasteur, plays a wonderfully despised substitute, and Mr. Edison, the trickster teacher, fits the villain position well.

The story takes us through a typical plot line. After learning about the characters in the introduction, our rising action develops when the students seek information about the Lunch Lady, while Lunch Lady seeks information about Mr. Pasteur. The climax arrives when Lunch Lady discovers that Pasteur is really a cyborg developed by Mr. Edison in an effort to win Teacher of the Year. Lunch Lady destroys the cyborgs. In the falling action, normalcy is restored in the school. In the end, however, jailbird Edison has a visitor that is “ready for their next assignment”, enticing readers to move on to the next Lunch Lady book.

Krosoczka’s style of writing is kid and adult friendly. His “punny” writing entertains the reader and keeps the story focused on the fact that she works in a school cafeteria. Lunch Lady uses a lunch tray laptop, spork phone, and spatu-copter to help research her nemesis and plan her attack. Her chosen weaponry is chicken nugget bombs and fish stick nunchucks. She uses expressions like, “I’m on him like cheese on macaroni!” and “It looks like today’s special is a knuckle sandwich!”. Throughout Lunch Lady’s hilarious story line, themes of good versus evil emerge.

A final important feature of the graphic novel is the illustrations. Not every illustration is supplemented with words, so Krosoczka’s unique drawings help tell the story. Each page is colored mostly in grayscale, with touches of yellow to enhance various parts of the illustrations.

Personal Response

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is a fun graphic novel. I can understand why students are so enthralled with not only Krosoczka’s hysterical stories, but graphic novels in general. These books are a great way to hook reluctant readers, especially boys!

Reviews and Awards

2010 Children’s Choice Award Winner

“With plenty of silliness and slapstick in the text and panel art alike, this comic should alleviate lunch-line boredom with visions of servers wielding fishstick-nunchucks and growling, "Today's special is a knuckle sandwich." – Publisher’s Weekly

“This tongue-in-cheek superheroine graphic novel will hit the spot for chapter-book readers.” -Booklist

Connections

Students can chose another important adult in the school (i.e. librarian, principal, custodian) and create an alter ego for them. They can create their own comic book adventure for their chosen character.

Jarrett Krosoczka provides wonderful presentations to students about following your dreams and never giving up. A librarian can invite him to share his stories of struggles and triumphs while evolving into an extraordinary author/illustrator. Information for school visits is available at http://www.studiojjk.com/schoolvisits.html