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Charm & Strange
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From: Merri Lindgren <mlindgren_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:27:49 -0500
It's time to focus our discussion of realistic fiction on the remarkable novel *Charm & Strange* (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013), winner of the 2014 William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Sixteen-year-old Win is terrified that the monster he believes is inside him will get out, and he is obsessed with preventing what he sees as inevitable. Alternating chapters contrast the mounting crisis of Win's present life with a slow reveal of his family's tragedy, particularly the events of one summer.
This powerful book pulled me fully into Win's story from the opening pages, and while it is honest about the horror of sexual abuse, it somehow also left me with a sense of hope for Win's future. The role of Win's friends, Lex and Jordan, played a big part in that hopefulness, and that brings me back to comments earlier this month about current young adult novels being more likely to show collaboration and support and not the strict self-reliance theme that used to be common.
What were your thoughts about Charm & Strange? Can anyone report on teen reader response? We'll spend the next few days in a general discussion of this title before author Stephanie Kuehn adds her voice to the conversation mid-week.
Merri
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:27:49 -0500
It's time to focus our discussion of realistic fiction on the remarkable novel *Charm & Strange* (St. Martin's Griffin, 2013), winner of the 2014 William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Sixteen-year-old Win is terrified that the monster he believes is inside him will get out, and he is obsessed with preventing what he sees as inevitable. Alternating chapters contrast the mounting crisis of Win's present life with a slow reveal of his family's tragedy, particularly the events of one summer.
This powerful book pulled me fully into Win's story from the opening pages, and while it is honest about the horror of sexual abuse, it somehow also left me with a sense of hope for Win's future. The role of Win's friends, Lex and Jordan, played a big part in that hopefulness, and that brings me back to comments earlier this month about current young adult novels being more likely to show collaboration and support and not the strict self-reliance theme that used to be common.
What were your thoughts about Charm & Strange? Can anyone report on teen reader response? We'll spend the next few days in a general discussion of this title before author Stephanie Kuehn adds her voice to the conversation mid-week.
Merri
--
Merri Lindgren, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
School of Education / UW-Madison
608-263-3930
mlindgren_at_education.wisc.edu
Address through July 31:
4290 Helen C. White Hall
600 N. Park Street
Madison, WI 53706
Beginning August 1:
Room 401 Teacher Education
225 N. Mills Street
Madison, WI 53706
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Received on Mon 21 Jul 2014 10:28:24 AM CDT
