Gayle Foreman's premise of her novel is always compelling, but the actual works tend to leave me unsatisfied. The characters portrayed in the novel simply didn't compel a lot of feeling from the reader, in my humble opinion. I wanted to see strength and perseverance, and while I understand the context of the novel was to reveal the insecurities of character's that have "lost their way," - I'm not sure they ever really found it.
For me, a YA novel needs to have more grit and less cliche. Foreman, while a strong writer, seems to write "down" to her teens and select topics that according to my 11th and 12th grade students, are over done. Then again, maybe they are just past her focus range???
For me, a YA novel needs to have more grit and less cliche. Foreman, while a strong writer, seems to write "down" to her teens and select topics that according to my 11th and 12th grade students, are over done. Then again, maybe they are just past her focus range???