The Fault In Our Stars: John Green
Summary:
Hazel Grace Lancaster is a 16-year old with terminal cancer. To deal with her depression, she attends a weekly support group for kids with cancer. There she meets a fellow cancer survivor and future love, Augustus Waters, simply known as Gus. In order to make Hazel’s dream come true, Gus arranges a trip for the two of them to Amsterdam to hunt down the author of Hazel’s favorite book. What happens next is not what either of them expected.
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Appeals:
Pacing –No fast-paced action, but still compelling so that readers want to keep turning the pages. Readers can jump right into the story from the first page instead of waiting to get pulled in after several chapters.
Characterization – Fully-developed main characters that teens can relate to. Green also shines at creating secondary characters.
Storyline – First and foremost, The Fault in Our Stars is a love story. Travel, illness, death, and grief are all important parts of the story, but the focus is on Hazel and Gus’s relationship.
Tone/Mood –Although dealing with a difficult subject, the writing is light-hearted and funny at times, but other times hard-hitting with an emotional punch. The book is about loss, illness, and grief, and overcoming obstacles we cannot change.
Style/Language – Written in the first person, this book is literary fiction. It uses smart humor, interesting vocabulary, and poetic phrasing, but yet is very readable and compelling. This book has massive cross-over appeal for adults.
Frame/Setting – Contemporary setting in Indianapolis with travel to Amsterdam
Read Alikes:
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (First Relationships)
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (First Relationships)
Before I Die by Jenny Downham (Illness/Grief)
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman (Illness/Grief, First Relationships)
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (Illness/Grief, Smart Humor)
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Loss/Grief)
Me Since You by Laura Wiess (publication Feb. 18, 2014) (Loss/Grief)
Winger by Andrew Smith (Smart Humor, Loss/Grief)
Although I was hesitant to read the book at first (didn't want to read about terminally ill teens) I read it because I've enjoyed everything that John Green had previously written. I'm glad I read it because I loved it. I'm looking forward to the movie. I usually don't like movies that are adapted from books that I have read, but Green has been involved throughout the whole process. So we'll see.
ReplyDeleteI think readers will find it helpful that you noted what the suggested Read Alikes had in common with The Fault in Our Stars. I can see how readers who liked TFIOS would also enjoy the first relationship aspect of Eleanor and Park.
I love how you mention the setting is Indianapolis because it's never explicitly stated in the book; you only know if you've heard John Green say it. Also, I think your readalikes are great! Contemporary YA is my main genre (and John is one of my favorite authors) so I agree with those choices and I'm looking forward to checking out the few that I'm unfamiliar with.
ReplyDeleteThis book is very popular at my library right now. I believe high school students in the area are being required to read it for school, because there is a wait list and it is always the same age kids! I liked reading your annotation because, even though the book is being checked out a lot, I never really looked into what it is about. This sounds like a book that could be worth reading, although it sounds like it could be very sad. I am also not a fan of books in the 1st person, although once I get going, I am usually able to get used to it.
ReplyDeleteA book that encountered in 622 (services for patrons with disabilities) was Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman. The children's librarian said lovely things about it when she handed it to me. (She had actually been the one to trap the hold.) It dealt with cerebral palsy. It dealt with the problems rather directly, up to and including contemplating euthanasia. It was short, powerful and disturbing. I think it is shelved in the teen section of our branch.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
DeleteStuck in Neutral was a selection for my YA Books for Adult book group. If I recall correctly, Terry Trueman was prompted to write the book because he has a handicapped son. We had a great discussion about the theme of this book. You described it perfectly- short, powerful, and disturbing.