Crazy
Nolan, Han
ISBN-13 9780152051099
ISBN-10 0152051090
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books, 2010
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: 660 Lexile
Interest Age: 14-18
Reader's Annotation:
His father tried to bury him alive at the age of 4 and by 5th grade his mother died. By 15, Jason has multiple personalities all trying to run his life.
Plot Summary:
The story starts with Jason's newest personality which happens to be a laughing reel. He starts to explain his life to this newest personality. Jason's father is mentally ill. He has voices that speak to him and he is convinced that mythical creatures are out to get him and his family. When he is on medication, Jason's father can cope and act like a normal father. When he is not taking it, bad things happen. When Jason was 4, his father had a mythological helmet on and tried to bury him alive to save Jason from the Furies. Luckily, his mother saved him and his father went away for a while. In 5th grade, Jason's mother got sick and his psyche split into a few personalities to cope.
When Jason begins to act strangely a year after his mother dies and he is asked to see the school counselor. He begins to join a lunch group. There are four other kids in the group who all have issues at home. One has a mother who is dying, one has a father who is abusive and another has a drug addict for a father. The four bond and Jason finally lets them in to see the mess he lives in. This book shows that people cannot find their strength all alone. People need others to lean on.
Critical Evaluation:
This book is written in an interesting way. It is almost like a script in a play because the personalities all get to talk together like a conversation. Jason's voice is in regular text and all his personalities are in italics. This could be very difficult to get used to but the reader seems to slide right in to Jason's mind. He is very worried about letting people into his life so he created the personalities.
Nolan created a lovable character in Jason and yet he has many fears that the reader may not understand. The plot thickens when he starts to let his friends see that he is poor and has a crazy father. The other characters are likable as well and the reader wishes the four keep a good friendship going.
About the Author:
Nolan was born in Birmingham, Alabama but grew up in New York. Her name is Hannah but is has been shorted to Han since she was a child. She loved reading as a child and her favorite book was "Harriet the Spy." Nolan did not do well in school until the 6th grade when she had her first creative writing class. Writing stories is something she loved to do.
Nolan started dancing at 13 and fell in love with it. She went to college and graduate school for dance. She was a professional dancer and began a life with her husband. Nolan realized she wanted to start writing and quit dancing when she realized dancing was taking over her life. She and her husband adopted three children and she decided to stay home and write. Now she has written many novels and is much happier.
http://www.hannolan.com/index.htm
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
The story starts with Jason's newest personality which happens to be a laughing reel. He starts to explain his life to this newest personality. Jason's father is mentally ill. He has voices that speak to him and he is convinced that mythical creatures are out to get him and his family. When he is on medication, Jason's father can cope and act like a normal father. When he is not taking it, bad things happen. When Jason was 4, his father had a mythological helmet on and tried to bury him alive to save Jason from the Furies. Luckily, his mother saved him and his father went away for a while. In 5th grade, Jason's mother got sick and his psyche split into a few personalities to cope.
When Jason begins to act strangely a year after his mother dies and he is asked to see the school counselor. He begins to join a lunch group. There are four other kids in the group who all have issues at home. One has a mother who is dying, one has a father who is abusive and another has a drug addict for a father. The four bond and Jason finally lets them in to see the mess he lives in. This book shows that people cannot find their strength all alone. People need others to lean on.
Critical Evaluation:
This book is written in an interesting way. It is almost like a script in a play because the personalities all get to talk together like a conversation. Jason's voice is in regular text and all his personalities are in italics. This could be very difficult to get used to but the reader seems to slide right in to Jason's mind. He is very worried about letting people into his life so he created the personalities.
Nolan created a lovable character in Jason and yet he has many fears that the reader may not understand. The plot thickens when he starts to let his friends see that he is poor and has a crazy father. The other characters are likable as well and the reader wishes the four keep a good friendship going.
About the Author:
Nolan was born in Birmingham, Alabama but grew up in New York. Her name is Hannah but is has been shorted to Han since she was a child. She loved reading as a child and her favorite book was "Harriet the Spy." Nolan did not do well in school until the 6th grade when she had her first creative writing class. Writing stories is something she loved to do.
Nolan started dancing at 13 and fell in love with it. She went to college and graduate school for dance. She was a professional dancer and began a life with her husband. Nolan realized she wanted to start writing and quit dancing when she realized dancing was taking over her life. She and her husband adopted three children and she decided to stay home and write. Now she has written many novels and is much happier.
http://www.hannolan.com/index.htm
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Book Talking:
What would happen if Jason's friends knew he had more than one personality?
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is an interesting look into a person with multiple personality disorder. It take a lighter road than books such as Sybil. This book is interesting and shows the power of friendship and companionship in a person's life.
What would happen if Jason's friends knew he had more than one personality?
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is an interesting look into a person with multiple personality disorder. It take a lighter road than books such as Sybil. This book is interesting and shows the power of friendship and companionship in a person's life.
when does the story take place?
ReplyDelete