Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik

 Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik



  1. Bibliography

LaZebnik, Claire. 2018. Boston, MA; HMH Books for Young Readers Publishing. ISBN 1328869342


  1. Plot Summary

Chloe is a seventeen girl, living a typical teenage life. A few small differences however; Chloe’s father has recently passed away from cancer, her younger sister is autistic, and she absolutely cannot stand her mother’s new husband. This story is a coming of age story that teaches you about love, heartache, and overcoming all obstacles to achieve the ultimate goal of happiness. 


  1. Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)

The main cultural marker of this story is witnessing the extremities of living with an autistic person. Seeing the reactions and hearing the thoughts of that autistic person really puts into perspective how others treat people with disabilities. Just because a person is different doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings. This can be seen in the way Chloe and her sister react with each other. Chloe tries to help Ivy get “out” more by trying to find her a boyfriend. This act seems to be a kind thing to do, however Ivy takes offense of the actions. She admits to being lonely, but is also offended for being set up with another autistic boy. Ultimately, Ivy just wishes to be treated like everyone else. This, I feel, is a theme that all special needs people wish for; to be treated like everyone else, despite their disability. 


  1. Review Excerpts


Booklist:  "LaZebnik hits it out of the park with her story about pretty, popular Chloe and her loving relationship with her older, autistic sister, Ivy... With perceptiveness and ample skill, LaZebnik paints a vivid picture of what the sibling of a person with high-functioning autism might go through. Never resorting to stereotype, she depicts appealing, three-­dimensional characters who flesh out a narrative that is compassionate, tender, funny, and wise all at once. This insightful, well-­written story will entertain readers while inspiring meaningful empathy." 


Publishers Weekly: “In this insightful account of misconceptions, family conflict, and the ironies of love, LaZebnik (Wrong About the Guy) examines the evolution of several relationships. . . . Writing with honesty and wit, LaZebnik offers a thought-provoking portrayal of how people can come together despite, or perhaps because of, their differences.”


Kirkus: "An eye-opening look at autism and those it touches."


  1. Connections


Stone, Tamara Ireland. EVERY LAST WORD. ISBN 1484723643.


Glasgow, Kathleen. GIRL IN PIECES. ISBN 1101934743.


Silvera, Adam. THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END. ISBN 0062457802.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If I Ever Get Out Of Here by Eric Gainsworth

Image
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth   A.            Bibliography Gansworth, Eric. 2005. New York, NY; Scholastic. ISBN 0545417317   Plot Summary Taking place in the 1970s, this story uses the songs of The Beatles to portray the story of Lewis, an American Indian teenager that is growing up in a time (and place) where his Native American heritage is underappreciated and sets him apart. This coming of age story uses themes of young love, friendship, family, and bullying to tell the story of how despite all the odds, Lewis is able to find some semblance of normalcy and happiness.   Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)             The cultural markers of this story come in the reactions of others to Lewis and his lifestyle. The mistreatment of Lewis can be seen time and time again, all because he is of a different cult...
Read more

Infographics: Information in Picture Form

Image
   Just as the title suggests, infographics are simply images with statics and numbers thrown in. It is generally something that someone can read by just glancing at. Infographics are a good way of informing the public or getting your point across about a certain topic. When creating your own infographic , there are many programs available online to help. For the purpose of this post, I will be comparing three different websites; Easelly , Piktochart , and Infogram , to see which (in my opinion) is easiest and most user friendly with creating an infographic .    All three programs that I played around with to create an inforgraphic required me to create an account. As such, I don't anticipate much Spam mail coming from these sites, however that is a subject for another day. Let's see how each one of these programs stacked up. Easelly ( http://www.easel.ly/ ) This site is terrific because it already has created infographics where one can go in and change the...
Read more

Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff

Image
Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff Bibliography Giff, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap . Wendy Lamb Book s, 2013. ISBN 0375838910. Plot Summary Jayna is an orphan and has only her older brother Rob to rely on. Rob has been called to the war in the Pacific, and Jayna is left with only her landlady, Celine. Jayna decides to go to New York and try to find any possible family. After finding a French cookbook with a photograph of a bakery among Rob’s things, Jayna goes in search of the Gingersnap bakery. Once there, she finds much more than she could have imagined. Jayna finds answers to her questions, acceptance, and most importantly, family.  Critical Analysis The different recipes scattered throughout the story that related to particular moments in the story add to a unique spin on the story. For example, on page 122, there was a recipe titled “Waiting Soup” that appeared just as Elise mentions that Jayna can stay with her until Rob comes home from th...
Read more