#20 - Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

   Just The Basics

    Published: May 2, 2024

    Genre: Coming of age, realistic fiction.

    Pages: 286 pages

    Acknowledgements:  Lincoln Award Nominee (2020)

        "To be alive is to be missing.”

    "Turtles All the Way Down" is a coming-of-age/realistic fiction novel by John Green. Aza Homes is a high schooler riddled with anxiety, a constant spiral of harmful "what-ifs" barely beneath the surface of her already quiet demeanor. In Indianapolis, Indiana, the life of Aza and her best friend Daisy (Star Wars fan-fiction writer extraordinaire) is relatively plain until the mysterious disappearance of local billionaire Russell Pickett. However, "luckily" for Aza and Daisy, Aza had met Russell Pickett's son Davis, years earlier at a grief counseling camp for those with dead parents. As Aza and Daisy try to unravel Russell Pickett's disappearance, the girls find themselves wrapped up again with David and his brother Noah, who are both still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of their father. In a story that is much more about mental health and the struggles of living with OCD than solving a crime, Turtles All the Way Down is about how difficult it is for the inner worlds of young people to collide. Aza and Davis have a romance, but one that can only survive at a distance, both because of Aza's worsening OCD and Davis's struggles with the public eye's attention on his family. This novel feels like a season of life where a young person grows up quickly, in the face of both wonderfully supportive friendships, the trials of mental health, and the trauma of losing a parent.  

    Why "Turtles All the Way Down"?

    I think it is fitting that I end my list of 20 YA titles with a John Green book. You see, John Green and I go way back. I was once a subscriber to the Vlog Brother's YouTube channel back in the early 2010s, a badge of book nerd honor on my Millennial resume. John Green is probably the YA author I have read the most of. I read Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Looking for Alaska when they all came out-- even before movies and shows were made of them. I wanted to end this list with Green's 2024 novel, because I felt a bit nostalgic in seeing that he's still actively releasing books. I have not read a John Green book since I was exiting high school, so Turtles All the Way Down felt like a ten-year high school reunion with an author I haven't seen since then. I've always loved Green's style of dialogue-focused narrative writing. I knew this novel was going to be good before even reading it, because I knew the style and type of story Green likes to write. Quiet stories, stories that might be full of emotionality but won't contain any big car chases. Turtles All the Way Down was still wonderfully personable, full of witty dialogue, and was a quick read with an emotional story. The trust I have in John Green is still warranted even 15 years after I first watched his YouTube videos. 

    Teaching Considerations

     Turtles All the Way Down would make a great novel for freshmen or Sophomore readers. This book exemplified internal and external conflict in a way that uses both types of conflict to add depth to a relatively simple story. I can teach this novel to a whole class because I understand Green's body of work and can make connections about his auteurship and what's important in the books he writes. This novel would also be a good choice for a book or book club option. I can see this book fitting into a unit on family, mental health, grief, or loss of innocence. The only triggering moments of this novel are Aza's intense moments of anxiety, obsessive compulsion, and even self-hatred. Aza gets close to suicidal ideation due to her mental state; however, this novel does not go as far as having her harm herself (other than some habitual, and minor, self-harm like opening her cuts on her fingers). I think this is the best John Green book to use in a classroom over the four I have now read, as Aza's interiority, along with Aza and Davis's search for more information on Mr. Pickett, shows how internal and external conflict can shape a plot, and usually combine to make the story intriguing. 

      Sections to Read Aloud & Reasoning

1. Twenty-Four 

• "Spirals grow infinitely small the farther you follow them inward, but they also grow infinitely large the farther you follow them out." (Page 284)

    While Aza deals with her often crippling anxiety and OCD symptoms, she uses the metaphor of spiraling. In this novel, the metaphor works differently as Aza both spirals deeper into her thought-spiral, or in the above moment, where she finally begins to spiral out of it. This metaphor is important in understanding how Aza thinks, and how thinking can be a difficult thing for her to stop. The sections of intense interiority where Aza battles with herself are some of the most fruitful moments for close reading and analysis. 

        2. Twenty-Two 

• "You're both the fire and the water that extinguishes it. You're the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You're the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody's something, but you are also your you.” (page 245)

    An interesting and meta part of this novel is how Aza often remarks that she "feels like a character" or feels like an abstraction, with her free will an illusion of the circumstances of her life leading her along. In the passage above, Aza is finally regulated somewhat due to medication and more talk therapy. This is an important tipping point for her character, as she realises that she is, in fact, herself, finally feeling some agency against her mental illness. Sections like these would make great discussion points for whole-class talks about free will, struggles with mental health, and Descartian philosophy. 

    Overall Thoughts

        Turtles All the Way Down was a great place to end my journey through YA lit (at least for now) because this book is a great example of young adult literature having just as much power in its construction as adult literature. This book felt deep, profound even, with both entertaining characters and an entertaining plot. Yes, this book seemed "simple" in terms of a very linear story; however, that allowed Green's characters to shine like they were supposed to. I am still my high school self, reading Looking for Alaska, when I read Turtles All the Way Down. I finished this book in just a few days, and I know my high-school self would have done the same. The relationship between Aza and Davis is impossible and complicated, much like the romance in The Fault in Our Stars, only in the last chapter of Turtles, Green provides a transcendent flash-forward where the reader gets to see how Aza learns from this season of her life. This book is both small and big at the same time, as the story effortlessly zooms in and out on the details that make it feel important. 

    Future Explorations

     This future exploration section seems very easy to write about-- I think I'm going to watch the HBO movie version of this story to celebrate the completion of my 20th YA book for this year. As an English teacher, I know John Green is not going anywhere in my life. Either students or other teachers will bring their works to my bookshelf again, and I think they deserve a place there. John Green was and continues to be a big part of my relationship with YA literature, and I am thrilled that I liked Turtles All the Way Down as much as all the others I have read from him-- as a kid or as an adult English educator. 

#19 - The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

  Just The Basics

    Published: March 7, 2017

    Genre: Coming of age, realistic fiction.

    Pages: 464 pages

    Acknowledgements:  NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature Nominee (2015)

        "And there we were, laughing again. What was it with this laughing thing? We were not supposed to be in the laughing mood. But there it all was. Me and Sam laughing. Whistling in the dark? Whistling in the dark." 

    "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life" is a coming-of-age and realistic young adult fiction novel. The book has a small and intimate cast of characters, all surrounding the nexus of Salvador and his father's home (Vicente). Salvador's adoptive father is an openly gay man; however, Vicente has spent years as the sole parent to Salvador after his birth mom died, and his birth father was never in his life to begin with. Salvador's lifelong best friend, Sam, becomes a sister to him through a major tragedy—in a story about chosen family, real family, and the inevitability of grief. In this novel, friends become family, real family is strained as Salvador's grandmother Mima battles cancer, and the role of nature versus nurture is explored in a simple yet emotional novel told in a series of extra-small mini-chapters. 

    Why "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life"?

    I saw Benjamin Alire Sáenz's name all over the teen section of my library. His Aristotle and Dante series seems to still be very popular, even with the last book being released in 2021. I personally didn't want to start another series for these final few books on my YA list, so I settled on "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life" as it stands alone, yet shares a front cover motif very similar to the Aristotle and Dante series. I went into this novel completely blind, not even reading a synopsis. What I found when I read this book was a story about grief, told in chapters that felt more like vignettes. The snapshots the readers get to Salvador's life, his relationships, and his recently budding anger issues, this novel was a fast read. A clipped-together collage of a young boy's life as he witnesses how those around him feel pain, all while experiencing his own pain. 

    Teaching Considerations

     This novel would be great for resistant readers. Especially those of Mexican heritage, as Salvador's family is unabashedly Mexican, the culture and language make up the background and context for him and his father's family. I think this would be a great book club option, as the book is relatable, understandable, and direct in its subtext. A small group of students (any secondary age, honestly, this book can be comprehended by any grader above 7th) could discuss this book easily, as well as maybe find a character that they can relate to. The biggest trigger warning for this book is the use of the F-slur for gay people. This word, however shocking to hear, fused full force in this novel, is something that at first triggers violent anger in Salvador; however is also a point of reflection for him as he begins to understand why he has recently felt so angry. This book would be a great choice for early high schoolers, who might be struggling with emotional regulation themselves. 

      Sections to Read Aloud & Reasoning

1. Me. Sam. Saturday Night. 

• "We both shrugged and kept drinking. The thing is, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to know what it felt like to be drunk. You want me to explain this logic? Well, where was the logic in loving? Where was the logic in dying in accidents? Where was the logic in cancer? Where was the logic in living? I was starting to believe that the human heart had an inexplicable logic." (ebook page 104)  

        One of the scenes where the reason for the title is made super clear is when Sam and Salvador get drunk off his dad's wine. In a vulnerable moment, they talk about both the tragedies of their life, and Salvador first comments on the illogical nature of traumatic events. This section and the surrounding chapter would make a great close-reading section for students. Questions about what "logic" is in life (if at all) may be explored in discussion or writing. 

        2. Night. 

• ''And I was trying to be strong for him, I'd never thought about that. I knew now, and maybe a part of me had always known it, that my dad knew how to keep his pain to himself. He'd learned-- maybe because he was born gay-- he'd learned how to suffer things in silence. I didn't want that silence for him. The night seemed so dark. But I think  I'd learned how to whistle in the dark. Maybe that was something." (ebook page 177)

    Salvador's dad, Vicente, is this novel's main pillar of consistent support. Almost every character has moments when they depend on him, most often Salvador. The above passage, which is the majority of the small "Night" chapter, focuses on Salvador's realization that his dad needs support, too. As Salvador grows up over the course of the novel, he begins to encourage his dad to live his life for himself beyond living it for his son. Sections like this may encourage discussion about the sacrifices of parenthood and the importance of living for oneself. 

    Overall Thoughts

        While this Sáenz novel wasn't earth-shattering or revolutionary, it was cute, emotional, simple, and quick. In this case, simplicity isn't a bad thing, as novels for younger readers need things spelled out to them. The simplicity of "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life" comes from this novel's understanding of the size of the story of grief and coming-of-age it is telling, without needing to expand the story to try to encompass an entire world. This novel just covers Salvador's life, and that's enough for this personal story. This novel focuses on the hard parts of life when it needs to, to the happy parts when they arrive, and is overall a quick and loving meditation on how the people in our life act as family to us-- whether biological family or not. 

    Future Explorations

     I think I'll give the Aristotle and Dante books a shot after sampling  Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing style. This book did feel exactly like that, a sample of what an author has to offer. I would like to see an expanded version of the simplicity shown in  "The Inexplicable Logic of My Life". Sáenz writes realistic dialogue and has a laid-back way of characterization that allows the reader to understand the people in the novel in sometimes quiet and simple actions or little conversations. I think this was a cute book from an author who seems like an effortless creator of small, personal narratives for younger readers. 

#18 - Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boylley

 Just The Basics

    Published: March 16, 2021

    Genre: Coming of age, realistic fiction, crime. 

    Pages: 494 pages

    Acknowledgements:  Edgar Allan Poe Award (Best Young Adult) Winner (2022)

        "Wisdom is not bestowed. In its raw state, it is the heartbreak of knowing things you wish you didn't.” 

    "Firekeeper's Daughter" is a combination coming-of-age and crime novel, focusing on Daunis, a biracial Ojibwe native. In her community, plagued with drug abuse, crime, and somehow still an interconnected network of tribal elders, Daunis finds herself plagued by tragedy after tragedy. Meth has taken hold of many of her close friends and distant relatives, and while still battling with the recent death of her uncle, the catatonic state of her GrandMerry, and the tensions between her best friend Lilly and her meth-addicted boyfriend Travis, Daunis finds a way to serve her community profoundly. Even as her tribe has always ostracized her due to the scandal of her birth (her Firekeeper father's affair resulting in the birth of her half-brother Levi). Daunis struggles to find her place in her tribe even after she can no longer play hockey, the local favorite sport. While her brother Levi might excel on the ice, Daunis learns uses her intellect and strengths as both a student and a young Ojibwe woman to get to the bottom of the meth epidemic on her reservation. In a story with twists, turns, and heartbreak, Firekeeper's Daughter is a modern tapestry of community and folklore. As Daunis, along with her blooming love interest with the new boy in town, Jamie Johnson, readers will find themselves entangled in a compelling mystery thriller that almost seems impossible to summarize. 

    Why "Firekeeper's Daughter"?

    This book is all over the top YA book lists, and came into my hands as one of the most recommended works for English teachers to read at my school. I borrowed a copy from the ELA workroom and finished this book almost immediately. Boylley also won the Edgar Allen Poe award for best YA novel in 2024, and I completely understand why. This was one of the longest books on my YA list this year, but the 494 pages went quickly as this book swooped me up in it's story. It's hard to not give any spoilers; however, it would be tragic for any potential readers to have the experience of reading this novel ruined. What begins like a typical high school hockey-related love story between Jamie and Daunis quickly becomes a mature commentary on the ravages of drug abuse on small communities, as well as creating a thrilling crime novel.  This book is transcendental in its tragic moments and an action-packed crime thriller when it gets the ball rolling. As Daunis learns how connected her life is to the meth epidemic, she also learns about the web of lies lying just beneath the surface of her close-knit Ojibwe community. This book is about grief as much as it is about the power of a young woman. 

    Teaching Considerations

     I would adore teaching this novel to a whole class. It's dense, especially in its use of Ojibwe language, cultural tradition, and mysticism, so I would recommend older readers beyond the 10th grade. There are serious trigger warnings for violence, sexual assault, drug abuse, and heartbreaking betrayals. However, it is in these hard moments that this novel shines the brightest. Boylley is not afraid to have horrible things happen to characters, especially after lulling the readers into a false sense of narrative safety. This book is realistic in both how sudden tragedy can strike and how deep the trauma these events can cause. However, Daunis is overwhelmingly resilient and overcomes events that would crush lesser people. I would love to teach this book on a unit about grief, about the power of community, about the power of women, or on the hardships caused by drugs. This book is multifaceted in its coloring of themes, making it a strong contender for full class study under many different thematic lenses. 

      Sections to Read Aloud & Reasoning

1. Chapter 9

• "A brave hand reaches for the gun. Lily's fingers outstretched. Demanding. Give it. Now." (page 86)

    While I have to avoid a lot of the context here, chapter 9 is when this novel really turns a corner. What happens between Daunis, Lilly, and Travis has a tragic ripple effect that reverberates through the rest of the story. This section would be an important close read for students. Certain events of this chapter, and particular phrases heard by Daunis, become refrains repeated again and again as the story continues. These passages are important thematic statements that encapsulate this novel's themes of grief, loss, and the betrayal of those whom Daunis thought she knew. 

        2. Chapter 33

• ''If you knew it was the last time you were going to see someone, would you say something profound? Would you share how much they meant to you? Would you ask any burning questions? Would you ask for forgiveness? Would you thank them?" (page 320)

    A lot of this novel is also about unlearning things you have known to be true before. In the wake of her uncle's mysterious death, Daunis learns that she has to seize every last moment with her loved ones. Passages like the one above are full of potential for analysis for thematic subtext. Her questions posed to the reader are great moments for students to respond for themselves. If you were in Daunis's shoes, how would you react? Who in life do you need to hold a bit more closely? 

        3. Chapter 52 

• "I'm reminded that our elders are our greatest resource, embodying our culture and community. Their stories connect us to our language, medicines, land, clans, songs, and traditions. They are a bridge between the Before and the Now, guiding those of us who will carry on in the future." (page 453)

    The elders of Daunis's community are a crucial part of her support system as well as important characters in the story. These older Ojibwe natives serve as both role models and hilarious foils to the young people of the reservation. Each elder has a lesson to teach, and a deeper analysis of these teachings in read-alouds would allow for easy essay questions and thoughtful discussion. Much like when Danis talks about grief and regret, how might students use this text to better understand the elders in their own lives? In a Western culture detached from that of the Ojibwe people, the centering of the elders and their stories bridges the teaching of Daunis's tribe in an easily accessible and thought-provoking way. 

    Overall Thoughts

        This has been one of the best books I have read, period. This story has a way of pulling the rug out from under you as you read. In both the moments of intense sadness and loss, this book finds transcendence, healing, and power. In its moments of thrilling action, Firekeeper's Daughter finds a way to turn the tension up another notch after the reader has come to understand these characters and their relationships so clearly. This book centers on the teachings of a tribe in a way that readers can understand and come to appreciate as Daunis uses her culture to help her navigate the mystery she's involved with. I wish I could write a blog post containing all the spoilers, so as to discuss how each moment compounds on another to make this story so compelling. This does not read as a YA novel at all, but instead a novel that anyone could enjoy, come to appreciate in its teachings, and then ponder further. 

    Future Explorations

     I would love to explore this book's sequel, Warrior Girl Unearthed, just to return to this world and reconnect with these characters. This book is smart, well-written, and is an incredible showcase of Boylley's talents. Even though my life seems a million miles away from Daunis's, I felt close and connected to the characters I met along my way. I think I will read more of Boylley's works, for both the love I have developed for her style, her storytelling, and the realism she brings to the YA genre.