DP54Cover - Deadly Pleasures

Cassandra Cassandra Gandle
Gandle
on on the
the
YOUNG YOUNG ADULT
ADULT
EDGAR
EDGAR
AWARD AWARD NOMINATIONS
NOMINATIONS
FRAGMENTS by Jeffry W. Johnston (Simon Pulse,
$6.99). Rating: B As a high school student, Chase
struggled through pain and heartache: he was the
only survivor in a car crash that killed many of his friends,
including his ex-girlfriend, who he still had feelings for. His
brother went to jail, and his parents never spoke about
him. And to top all that off, Chase attempted suicide soon
after the accident, and was forced to seek professional
help. Throughout the novel, readers learn about Chase’s
struggle to find normalcy, while also learning about the
events that changed Chase’s life forever.
FRAGMENTS was one of the most unique novels
I have ever read. Although it was a bit depressing for my
taste, Johnston did an excellent job in portraying real
thoughts and feelings that a sixteen-year-old would have in
response to such tragic situations. Johnston especially
emphasized the fluctuations in Chase’s mental state, which
turned out to be an integral part of understanding Chase,
as well as the novel as a whole. By the end of this novel, I
was able to fully sympathize with Chase, and was truly
drawn into the events that were occurring in the story.
The novel’s ending was certainly very unpredictable.
However, it was also slightly disturbing, so I would not
recommend this novel for children under the age of
fourteen. But for most older teenagers, FRAGMENTS
would be an interesting read, and I would recommend it.
TOUCHING SNOW by M. Sindy Felin (Atheneum
Books for Young Readers, $16.99). Rating: B-
TOUCHING SNOW describes the life of a Haitian
eighth-grader, named Karina, who lives in the United
States with her large and rowdy Haitian family, which
includes an abusive stepfather. Karina and her sisters,
however, avoid taking action against their stepfather,
fearing that they will be taken away from their mother. In
addition to avoiding her stepfather, Karina struggles with
her schoolwork, as well as making friends. Throughout the
course of the novel, Karina becomes a stronger person as
she fights to keep her family from falling apart.
TOUCHING SNOW was an intriguing novel,
though I never actually understood the significance of the
title and how it connected to the story’s plot. Readers can
very clearly see Karina’s character development throughout
the novel. At the beginning, she was quiet, lazy in
school, and never brave enough to stand up for herself. As
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the novel progressed, she became more motivated to do
better for both herself and her family. I personally felt that
some parts of the novel were described in too much detail,
which made certain chapters rather dull for me. However,
it could also be argued that these descriptive passages add
to the overall character of the story.
To forewarn readers, TOUCHING SNOW contains
very detailed descriptions about the abuse that
Karina and her sisters endured, and so for those readers
who do not like topics such as this, I would recommend they
skim past those passages while reading the novel.
DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW by Caroline B.
Cooney (Delacorte Press, $15.99). Rating: A DIA-
MONDS IN THE SHADOW, my personal favorite of the
Edgar-nominated novels, discusses the experiences of the
Finch family, who decide to temporarily take in four
African refugees that are being sponsored by their church.
However, the Finch family does not know that a fifth
refugee came to America as well, and that the fifth refugee
wants something, and is willing to spill innocent blood in
order to obtain it. The other four refugees, however, learn
a lot from the Finch family, and the Finches, to their
surprise, also learn a great deal about themselves from the
Africans.
I found the plot of this book to be very unique.
Most novels written for teenagers involve romance and
adolescent themes in order to attract young readers, but
DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW does not even need
these particular elements in order to be interesting. I
already had some previous knowledge concerning the
horrors that Africans face in unstable regions of the
continent, but this book truly gave me an even deeper
emotional connection to those people that are suffering in
Africa. All of the characters in the novel undergo a great
deal of character development, and it is remarkable to
compare the characters’ actions at the beginning of the
story to their actions at the end.
DIAMONDS IN THE SHADOW was a thoroughly
enjoyable novel for me, and I would strongly suggest
this book for young adults who enjoy a suspenseful as well
as educational read.