Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is very experimental in the way its lens plays with the reader’s perceptions throughout the story. The character through whom we experience the sleepy town of Nowhereville, 13-year-old Mallory Moss, arguably isn’t the protagonist of this story. The character arc she undergoes as the story progresses is very nonlinear due to the nature of the storytelling. Told in flashbacks from days leading up to “The Incident,” while switching to its aftermath (in the present), Mallory attempts to find her missing friend with the help of ex-friends Ingrid and Kath. When Jennifer goes missing, the entire town is shaken up. Mallory, our narrator, is at the heart of the tragedy. The book starts out framing Mallory as a popular girl at the top of her middle school social hierarchy, with Reagan and Tess as her closest friends. As both plot lines progress, however, Keller’s clever narrative choices carefully examine themes of change, social structures, bullying, and friendship through a realistic, honest point of view. The storyline leading up to “The Incident” starts when Jennifer Chan moves into the house across the street. Mallory’s lens through which she views the world shifts. Jennifer Chan is, as the book describes her, extraterrestrial. Mallory befriends her when she first moves to Nowhereville, but soon feels like she is forced to cut her off in order to maintain her perception in school. Mallory brings her past decisions to light and navigates her friendships with Ingrid and Kath, Reagan and Tess, but more specifically, her short-lived initial friendship with Jennifer, the titular character of the story, who believes we are not alone in our existence. She believes there are aliens somewhere, out there, and we learn about her backstory through snippets of her diary, titled “Jennifer Chan’s Guide To The Universe, Vol 1. through 7.” Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is an incredibly relatable and gripping mystery/middle school drama that uses its narrator to weave together a story about self-identity, and I found myself and my friends throughout the pages of the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2022. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Book Reviews
Overcoming Labels: Touching Spirit Bear, Reviewed by Olivia Shekou, 13
In our modern world, people seek to rid themselves of all anger, yet, they haven’t realized that anger can’t be disposed of. Similar to the broad spectrum of human emotions, anger is part of our human experience. However, through reflecting on this human emotion, we can gain perspective on how anger has a role in shifting our consciousness. Couldn’t we shift our outlook on anger as an experience that we have some level of control over, much like a flame that depends on the fuel it is fed? Ben Mikaelsen’s book, Touching Spirit Bear, follows 15-year-old Cole Matthews’s journey, as he learns to gain the upper hand over his anger. After viciously smashing Peter Driscal’s skull into a sidewalk, Cole is given the choice to serve a year of restorative justice on a remote Alaskan island. When Cole arrives on the island, he immediately burns down his shelter in an act of anger and soon after, he is mauled to “an inch of life” by the mysterious Spirit Bear. Although he is immobilized, Cole is determined to survive. In his emotionally vulnerable state, Cole demonstrates care for other creatures, and he begins to reform with the help of Garvey, his Minneapolis parole officer, and Edwin, a Tlingit Indian elder. Even though Cole has gained the upper hand over his anger, he is unable to truly reform until he has made amends with Peter, who attempted to commit suicide. When Cole invites Peter to the island, he mentors him, teaching him about healing and strategies to control his anger, and Peter eventually reforms too. Two valuable takeaways from Touching Spirit Bear are that anger is one of many human emotions and by itself doesn’t define us, and that second, anger can be rechanneled and repurposed to produce a positive outcome. Anger is just one emotion in the mixed bag of human feelings, and it would be unreasonable to label someone as angry simply because they are experiencing that emotion. We are more than our emotions. Society struggles to see beyond these exhibited emotions; it takes seeing through them to get a true glimpse of someone. For example, when a parent calls out their child as “selfish” or “rude” for how they behave, the child is being superficially labeled for what they did in the moment. In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is driven by rage when he viciously attacks his classmate Peter Driscal, burns down his cabin on the island he was banished to, and attacks the Spirit Bear. While Cole’s attack on Peter may be seen as an act of anger, if we look deeper, Cole’s true motive was to make him care in ways that Cole was never cared for. Growing up as a neglected child, Cole was never cared for and even as a teenager, he still feels that others don’t care about his feelings. As a result, Cole turns to anger and violence because that was what he was taught. His very own father beat him to make him care and respect his word. Similarly, although Cole’s act of burning down his shelter was done out of anger, we must understand his past and the context in which he was raised. In the same way, when Cole attacks the Spirit Bear, he is angry that the bear doesn’t fear him, but on a deeper level, wanted to make him care about his presence. Eventually, Cole arrives at the conclusion that he is not defined by his anger and says, “I just realized that I’m not a bad person. Nobody is… People are just scared and do bad things. Sometimes people hurt each other trying to figure things out” (168). When Cole comes to this self-realization, he looks beyond the surface of his emotions, realizing he is processing his neglected and abusive upbringing. It was in this self-realization that Cole was able to forgive himself and move beyond labeling himself as angry. There is so much more than what meets the eye when it comes to our emotions, which are so often fueled by one’s past experiences, unprocessed grief and trauma. Therefore, it is too simplistic to label someone as the emotion they exhibit. On a subconscious level, anger can be one’s greatest teacher as it offers insight which can lead to change. Through reliving anger and experiencing the consequences of acting out in anger, one may process what led them to anger. When Cole attacks the Spirit Bear in an outburst of rage, the animal mauls him to a state of near-death. It is through reliving the mauling several times in his mind that he can process his anger and the motive behind his attack. Cole’s pride is tested when the bear isn’t afraid of him. Realizing his own pride and desire to be seen, Cole is able to understand his abusive father on a deeper level. He learns that his father was abused as a child and held on to his unprocessed grief and anger, which carried over into his relationship with his son. With this perspective, Cole is able to forgive his father’s countless acts of neglect, assault and abuse. With the help of Edwin, a Tlingit Indian elder, and Garvey, his Minneapolis parole officer, Cole sets out on a healing journey and a path of reform. Cole soaks in a frigid pond and rolls away the “ancestor rock” to let off steam, yet the most significant step to his reform is showing compassion to his victim. In the aftermath of Cole’s attack, Peter attempts to commit suicide twice. Feeling compassion, Cole invites Peter to the island. He hopes to gain back Peter’s trust and make amends for assaulting him. Cole is profoundly aware of his change of heart and tells Peter, “‘I’m part of some big circle that I don’t understand. And so are you. Life, death, good and bad, everything is part of that circle. When I hurt you, I hurt myself, too. I don’t think I’ll ever heal from what I did
24 Hours in Nowhere, Reviewed by Danielle Kusek, 10
Imagine living in the hot sun, in the poorest town in the Arizona desert—Nowhere. In a town with the lowest graduation rate in the state, you wouldn’t expect much. Nowhere has some strange things—two bars, an ostrich farm, an excessive number of bullies. Still, in all of its dusty glory, Nowhere’s biggest claim to fame is the Dead Frenchman Mine. When the dreaded town terrorizer, Bo, demands that Gus go into the mine and fetch him a piece of gold, Gus is terrified. But his friend’s dirt bike is on the line, and he won’t let her down—at least, until he figures out just how scary the mine can be. I checked this book out half-heartedly, not expecting much. However, my mind was changed as I dove further and further into this captivating, heartfelt story, and realized just how wrong I was to underestimate this book. With relatable characters, a unique plot, and conflict that leaves you empathizing with those who have to endure it, it’s not hard to immediately fall in love with this story. This book especially stood out to me because the characters are so much more than they appear to be. At first, these characters seem like your average middle schoolers, nothing exciting about them. Yet, when disaster strikes, we learn so much about them. From cave-ins to treacherous pits and holes, the characters learn so much about each other. They share a hatred of Nowhere, and a fear of what haunts them from their past. On their journey, they don’t only discover new things about each other, they discover new elements in themselves and the bonds they share with one another. “I’ll be defined by what I do in this life, not by what anyone else does to me or says about me. None of that matters. All that matters is what I do.” That inspiring quote is an example of one of the many lessons demonstrated in the story. 24 Hours in Nowhere teaches us so many things, but one of the most meaningful lessons is to not judge people without fully understanding their stories. When Gus, Rossi, Matthew, and Jesse adventure into the ominous Dead Frenchman Mine, they face challenges, but they also overcome emotional challenges with each other, and the characters are able to lift some weight off their shoulders and express their feelings with each other. The most unlikely group is able to bond through their hardships and similarities in their past and their struggles. “What struggles do I have, and how are they similar to the characters?” was the question I continuously asked myself. 24 Hours in Nowhere lets you sympathize with the characters. It’s an enjoyable book because it lets you reflect on your own life and think about how there are less fortunate people in the world around us. Any fans of Dusti Bowling’s The Canyon’s Edge will enjoy this book because of their similar personal struggles and discoveries. Anyone who enjoys adventure, realistic fiction, and real-world issues will connect to the plot and the characters. Overall, I quite enjoyed reading Dusti Bowling’s mesmerizing novel that is filled with emotion and sprinkled with just the right amount of humor. Not only is this book about survival, but it lets you reflect on your own life and find similarities with the characters. 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling. Union Square Kids, 2020. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
