LS 5603 Book Review: JELLICOE ROAD

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Bibliography
Marchetta, Melina. 2006. JELLICOE ROAD. New York, NY: HarpersCollins Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-06143184-5

Plot Summary
This is a coming of age story for Taylor Markham, who grew up in a boarding school on Jellicoe Road. Taylor finds herself in charge of her house as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her arrival at Jellicoe School. Taylor tries to balance her new responsibilities while uncovering her mysterious past, she is even able to make some new friends along the way.

Critical Analysis
Although this story is well worth the reader's time, less experienced readers may have trouble with comprehension. The story line is fairly complex in addition there are two different time lines twenty years apart from each other, this makes the story a challenging read. The author does delineate the two time lines by putting the older time line in italics to help the reader.

Taylor's teenage angst is believable and familiar to teenage readers,"What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More." As Taylor struggles to grow up and face life's challenges she does what many teenagers do she retreats, sleeps, and argues with people she cares about. Taylor's struggles will validate readers feelings even though situations in Taylor's life and the reader's life are very likely different.

Since there are two time lines in this story, Taylor's story and the story revealed in twenty year old diary entries, the reader is hooked into the book by trying to decipher the connection. Throughout the novel Taylor's story is interspersed with diary excerpts, and this keeps the reader guessing until the end how the two connect.

Review Excerpts
2009 Micheal Printz Award
2008 WA Young Readers Book Award
2009 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Why It is a Best: Set in rural Australia, the story of Taylor and of the five friends is permeated by a sense of place and time. Readers will smell the trees and taste the dust."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Elegiac passages and a complex structure create a somewhat dense, melancholic narrative with elements of romance, mystery, and realistic fiction."

Connections
*Have children create a diary.
*Have children read another Micheal Printz Award winning book and compare.