I Must Betray You by Ruta Septeys
Bibliographic Data
Ruta Sepetys. (2022). I Must Betray You. Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN: 9781984836038
Summary
This is the story of 17-year-old boy named Christian who is living in Romania under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. He and his community are living in harsh conditions and there are always people watching and reporting. Christian’s grandfather is very outspoken about the conditions they are living in, and he becomes extremely sick. Christian is approached by the secret police to become an informer. He is blackmailed and promised medication for his grandfather if he agrees to become an informer. Christian is torn about his decision to become an informer, while being true to himself and his friends and family.
Critical Analysis
The author Rutta Sepetys has created a novel in which the characters are expected to live in such a way that they are forever being watched, expected to wait in line for food and only allowed a certain amount of electricity. This takes place in 1989 and readers are trying to understand how this happens during a time that is not that long ago. According to the School library Journal, Sepetys's latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical fiction. Yes, this is a time in history when on the outside looking in, Romania is a thriving country. The dictators are coming to the USA, going to Disneyland, and spending time with our President. This couple did an exceptional job of covering up what was truly going on in Romania. It was a story that needed to be told. Mrs. Septeys has brought together a story that shows the sufferings that a family will endure for survival even if it means informing on one of their own. Every step that the character, Christian, took was to show others the wrong doings of his country. He did this with his writings. When it was time to oppose his country's leaders, he was ready to fight for his country and family in a most courageous way. This is the beauty of how Mrs. Septeys writes, the character always endures hardship and wins. Readers can celebrate and admire the character's courage and perseverance in this hidden history of oppression in Romania.
Reviews and Awards
Horn Book Guide, 05/01/2022
In quick, economical language, she provides historical detail and shows readers a context in which one contraband can of Coke can result in a police report, but also one in which the courage and solidarity of youth can change a country's oppressive regime.
Booklist Starred Reviews, 01/01/2022
Suspenseful twists continue to the very end, when Cristian’s betrayer is revealed. The back matter, too, is fascinating; it encompasses archival photographs, an author’s note, an extensive source list, and a description of the research process and several in-person interviews."
Publishers Weekly Starred, 12/20/2021
When an agent of the secret police blackmails him for accepting a dollar of foreign currency from the son of his mother’s U.S. diplomat client, and promises life-saving medication for his grandfather, Cristian is forced to inform on his loved ones.
Awards
ALSC Notable Children's Books: Commended 2023
CCBC Choices: Selection 2023
The Josette Frank Award: Winner 2023
Connections
Christian is blackmailed to become an informer. What would you do if you were in his shoes? Discuss with your neighbor.
Were you surprised about the ending? Why or why not? Did you think it should have ended the way it did?
Read the book The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Septeys. Compare and contrast I Must Betray You and The Fountains of Silence.
Bibliographic Data
Medina, M. (2018). Burn Baby Burn. Candlewick Press. ISBN:9780763674670
Summary
It is the summer of 1977 in Queens, New York, 17-year-old Nora is trying to survive the chaos of her city that is filled with arson, blackouts and the serial killer known as Son of Sam. Not only is Nora dealing with the uncertainty and fear that is facing her neighborhood and the city, but she is also facing the destruction of her brother Hector, who bullies Nora and her mother. Nora is expected to be an adult and help keep her brother under control while working to help ends meet. All Nora wants to do is turn 18 and begin living life for herself.
Critical Analysis
The author Meg Medina has created a story that shows Nora as a strong young lady who wants. more out of her life than her current situation, but she feels trapped because of her loyalty to her mother and brother. According to the School Library journal, character development is tight and accurately constructed. Medina holds nothing back, shedding light on the characters' flaws, which teens today will be able to relate to. Medina is on point with the teen voices, evoking their intense fear, panic, and dreams. Medina does show the struggle that Nora faces in keeping her family secrets to herself. Even her best friend from kindergarten does not fully understand the secrets that Nora hides. She fears letting the new boy she likes really know what she is dealing with concerning her brother and her home situation. Nora is expected to take care of her brother, who is spiraling out of control, reach out to her father when they need to make rent and work a job to help pay bills to keep their family in the apartment. Nora has a lot of responsibility, and all of this happens under the shadow of arson, power blackouts and a serial killer on the loose, when she is supposed to be living her best summer ever after graduating from high school. Many readers will be able to connect to having to keep secrets because of fear of not being accepted. This is what Medina does to make her character, Nora, relatable to others. Most people at one time or another have had to keep a secret regardless of how small or how big it is. Medina added to the fear and uncertainty that Nora was experiencing by adding the fear of the unknown with the Son of Sam serial killer.
Reviews and Awards
Horn Book Guide Starred, 10/01/2016
Nora is an empathetic character; Medina depicts her troubled family and their diverse Queens neighborhood with realistic, everyday detail.
School Library Journal Starred, 02/01/2016
. Ashamed and embarrassed, Nora hides secrets about her family from Pablo and from her best friend, Kathleen. Medina uses Nora's story to seamlessly connect readers to an unforgettable period in history, the setting leaving readers thirsting for more information about the summer of 1977.
Publishers Weekly, 01/04/2016
Fortunately, the other elements in this coming-of-age story are elegantly and eloquently explored: the difficulties of finding a place to make out with a serial killer around, the new opportunities opening for women, and Nora’s growing ability to envision the life she wants.
Awards
Best Fiction for Young Adults: Top Ten Selection 2017
Américas Award: Commended 2017
CCBC Choices: Selection 2017
Connections
Nora has difficulty with her relationship with the people she loves most. Discuss with a partner the relationship between Nora and her brother Hector. The relationship between her mom and herself. The relationship between Nora and her father?
In what ways is 1977 similar to today and what ways is it different? Create a Venn Diagram with a partner, filling in the similarities and differences.
Why do you think Nora’s mom expects her to take care and overlook her brother Hector's behavior?
Bibliographic Data
Holm, J. L. (2010). Boston Jane: An Adventure. Yearling. ISBN:9780375893995
Summary
This story takes place in 1855 with a young girl named Jane Peck. Jane’s mother passed away and she is being raised by her father who is a doctor. Jane has been allowed to run amuck in town until one day Her father takes on an apprentice named William Baldt who encourages Jane to be more lady like. Jane enrolls in Miss Hepplewhite's Young Lady Academy to learn how to become a proper lady. When William’s time is complete, he decides to go to the Washington Territory. William asks Jane to follow him to become his wife. Jane sets sail and realizes everything she learned at Miss Hepplewhite’s does not apply in the Washington Territory.
Critical Analysis
The author Jennifer L. Holm has created a novel that is engaging and humourous. The reader immediately falls in love with young Jane and the mischief she gets into. Understanding that Jane does not have a mother to keep her in line and a father, who is a doctor has encouraged her to be independent and resourceful. It is not until the smiling William Baldt becomes an apprentice to her father that Jane notices that she needs to curb her ways. The way the author titles each chapter with a point from Miss Hepplewhite's handbook is quite humorous. With this book being historical fiction, it is hard to imagine that the expectations in this guidebook were true expectations for a proper lady. According to School Library Journal, the author's portrayal of pioneer/Chinook relationships is sympathetic as the young woman finds true friendship with them. The only jarring note is the use of Mary's ghost to let Jane know that she is making a mistake in upholding her loyalty to shallow, stuffy William. It is an unnecessary device that adds little to an exceptionally good book. I agree with this review in that the author did an exceptional job in exploring the relationships with the pioneers and Chinooks because these humans had different views on living in a rugged territory and that is important for readers to recognize. I disagree with the remark of Mary’s ghost being an unnecessary device. As readers, we saw Mary as Jane’s friend and she is who Jane relied on. The fact that she died on the ship sailing over was a tragedy and for the author to have written Mary out of the book so quickly would have been incredibly sad. This reader would have always wondered why she had to die. By the author keeping Mary’s ghost in the story, the readers can see how Mary guided Jane into making decisions. The author did a fantastic job of showing Jane’s character as a young child and the cycle she went through to conform to the expectations set in a formal society only to realize her original upbringing with her feisty words and fearlessness is what she truly needed to survive the Washington Territory.
Reviews and Awards
Publishers Weekly, 09/16/2002
A 16-year-old blossoming society lady must abandon etiquette in order to survive on the frontier. "The series of challenges that transform Jane into an outspoken, self-reliant young woman forms a tale that readers will long remember," said PW. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Horn Book Guide, 04/01/2002
Jane Peck transforms herself from a hoyden to a refined young lady, then follows her fiancé to the Oregon frontier, where conditions are more primitive than she expects. Predictably, "Boston Jane" sheds her useless refinements and adapts to frontier life with the help of the Chinook tribe members, but she is an endearing heroine.
Kirkus Review, 06/15/2001
Holm (Our Only May Amelia, 1999) gives readers an original, likable narrator in Jane and a good-humored, rip-roaring romantic adventure, with colorful secondary characters to spare.
Awards
Sadly, I could not find any awards.
Connections
Think about Boston's Jane life in Philadelphia. Think about her life when she arrived in Oregon. Discuss with a partner the differences between the two settings.
Boston Jane’s character changed throughout the book. Think about the changes she made and discuss with a partner what were the causes of her character changing and what was the result. Discuss with your partner if you think Jane’s character changed for the right reasons?
Discuss with a partner the conflict that Jane had with Mary’s ghost. Why do you think Mary’s ghost stayed?
This book is the first book in a trilogy. Read Book 2 Boston Jane: Wilderness Days, Book 3: Boston Jane: The Claim
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