Module 2 - Realism, Romance & Censorship
"Read three of the following selections:"
Plot Summary
Steven, star drummer at his school, has a crush on the hottest girl in school, a female friend from jazz band whose attraction he fails to recognize, an obnoxious baby brother, and all the typical schoolwork - like English journals. From the perspective of his graduation date, Steven recounts the events of the year that focus on his little brother, the "most annoying thing in the world" according to his journal entries. Steven loves his little brother, Jeffrey, and one morning while fixing him "moatmeal" for breakfast Steven turns his back and Jeffrey falls off of the kitchen stool, getting a nosebleed in the process. When the nosebleed doesn't stop, Mom rushes Jeffrey to the emergency room and then disappears with Jeffrey for a whole week before Steven is told what is going on. Once Steven finds out that Jeffrey has been diagnosed with leukemia and is undergoing treatments for it, he buries his feelings in his drumming. His father retreats from communicating, his mother takes off from work to care for Jeffrey, and Steven is left to largely figure things out on his own. Throughout the course of the school year Steven slacks off of school work, focuses on his drumming, and tries to support his little brother through the chemotherapy treatments. In the process Steven grows as a person and learns, with help, that even though many things are out of his control, he can control some things in life. His descent into despair and his climb back to a new state of normal-for-him is thoughtfully portrayed without losing the essence of the characters and their situations.Critical Analysis
Steven is a typical teenager thrust into the atypical situation of dealing with a brother with leukemia. Sonnenblick does a great job of spreading the focus of the book out enough that it doesn't seem overly about cancer, but is also about how Steven navigates middle school romance and the demands of school and extra-curriculars. His romantic opportunities with Renee, the hottest girl in school, and Annette, the jazz band girl, are both affected by his reactions to his brother's leukemia, but they also feel like they develop naturally and realistically to the characters involved.The voice of our protagonist also lends a good deal of humor to what would otherwise be a rather tragic set of circumstances. This keeps the book lively and compelling even in the face of unfortunate circumstances.
Sonnenblick explains in a Q&A at the end of the novel:
I really wrote this book for one amazing girl. Her little brother had been battling cancer for years, and I wanted to find a book that she could relate to. When I couldn't find a novel that I felt was a good fit for her situation, I wrote one.Perhaps because of this real life source of inspiration, and the basis of the character of Steven on himself, everything in the novel feels authentic. This book will be a beneficial read for anyone who needs the reassurance that, as a Booklist reviewer summarizes, "even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself."
Bibliography
Sonnenblick, Jordan. Drums, girls, & dangerous pie. New York: Scholastic, 2006. ISBN 9780439755207.Awards/Reviews
From Publishers Weekly:The author perceptively records the struggle within Steven to lash out against his parents for feeling neglected and to feel compassion for his brother, as well as the normal adolescent concerns, including overlooking childhood friend Annette ("It's like she's figured out how to play [piano] like Beethoven and Thelonious Monk but hasn't quite mastered the art of being a girl yet"), who clearly has a crush on him, in favor of unattainable girl-next-door Renee. The journal structure is not always entirely believable, but Steven's thoughts and feelings are (after his mother returns from one of Jeffrey's treatments, Steven has an epiphany: "I realized without any shadow of a doubt that she would have done the same for me"). Readers may well feel inspired by the teen's gradual growth over the course of the novel, and drummers especially will enjoy this insider's view.From School Library Journal:
Steven's frequent faux pas seem belabored early in the book, but they do eventually work to show him to be an admirable fellow who grows in his ability to deal with others, including Renee and Annette, the school counselor, his parents, and Jeff. The book does not miss a single emotional beat, taking every opportunity to demonstrate that Lurlene McDaniel has no stranglehold on jerking tears as Steven details the progress of leukemia's inexorable attack. If the young characters sometimes speak beyond their years and if Steven's wise-ass voice is initially annoying, it is also fresh, energetic, and consistent, becoming more likable as the novel progresses. One stylistic device seemed unnecessary and distracting: characters' speech is indicated by italics, while quotation marks are used to set off Steven's inner thoughts and for special emphasis.-Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IAFrom Booklist:
A story that could have morphed into melodrama is saved by reality, rawness, and the wit Sonnenblick infuses into Steven's first-person voice. The recriminations, cares, and nightmares that come with a cancer diagnosis are all here, underscored by vomiting, white blood cell counts, and chemotherapy ports. Yet, this is also about regrouping, solidarity, love, and hope. Most important for a middle-grade audience, Sonneblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself. --Ilene Cooper
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