Are You Experienced - Jordan Sonnenblick

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Are You Experienced? New York, Feiwel and Friends, 2013.

Time travel, Woodstock, family dysfunction, and a likable narrator combine to create a fascinating new read from one of my favorites - Jordan Sonnennblick. The story belongs to Rich. He loves music. He kind of loves his girlfriend. He does not love the extremely overprotective environment that his parents have created for him. After a particularly difficult encounter with his dad that results from him sneaking out to play at a protest rally, Rich attempts to bridge the gap between them at his mother's urging, but his dad simply refuses to talk about his anger or the loss of his older brother Michael from years ago. A frustrated Rich breaches his dangers privacy, discovers a guitar that may have belonged to Jimi Hendrix, and plays a chord that lands him smack in the middle of Woodstock, with his dad as a teenage boy and the uncle he's never met.

What ensues is a kind of a romp through Woodstock. The drugs and the free spirit of the attendees are fairly honestly explored, making this more appropriate for the mature reader, but Sonnenblick deftly avoids anything overtly graphic; one of the reasons I respect and appreciate him so much as. 7-12 librarian. Rich is a likable kid and the reader is fascinated as he begins to get to know his dad as a teenage boy and learns first hand ,any of the reasons why his dad is the way he is. This parent child dynamic is rarely explored in YA, a genre in which the parents are seldom present in a big way throughout a book. I love the insight for both parents and kids. Historically, the book provides a wealth of information about Woodstock and e culture and music of the 60s. Honestly, at times I was a little overwhelmed at the "instruction" provided by the narrator, but for many of my readers this will go largely unnoticed. Also the "coincidences" felt a bit awkward in the plot for me, but will not to many of my readers.

I love to talk to my kids about Sonnenblick's work, and this one is no exception. Interesting, readable, junior high appropriate male protagonists are easy to sell.  Rich is real. Students will relate to his frustrates and struggles, and I hope inspired by the things he learns. Sonnenblick graciously Skyped into an event we were holding in our school, and I loved what he told our boys. In order to be happy, he said, you must find what makes you happy and then figure out how to use that thing to make others happy. I always give that advice when I talk his books, and I love how his books support this message.


The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

Toten, Teresa. The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. New York: Delacorte Press, 2013.

Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places.  Adam Ross is one such hero. He doesn’t always feel like one.  He must constantly battle is obsessive compulsive disorder - the reason that he finds himself in group in room 13B in the first place. Some amazing things happen in this group.  Adam falls in love.  The perfect girl strolls right into that room and rocks his whole world.  He makes it a mission to get better for her and that commitment sustains him, right to the point where he does the heroic thing and (spoiler alert) gives her up.  His fellow members take on superhero identities and become superheroes to each other - walking up flights and flights of stairs because one of them fears the elevator; visiting a church together and finding their own individual kinds of comfort there ( priceless, those scenes at Adam’s church!). As Adam grows (both literally and figuratively) through group, his private life takes a somewhat dismal turn.  His mom hoards; his step brother struggles with his own compulsions; his own symptoms seem to worsen. His journey is difficult to watch, but ultimately uplifting.

This book is not a brand new one, and I can’t honestly remember what led me to add it to a recent book order.  I am, however, so glad that I did.  On the heels of Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman and Crazy by Linda Vigen Phillips, I am pleased to find another fresh, honest look at the impact of a kind of mental illness on a young adult.   I am already dreaming up a book talk slide where I can highlight these amazing works. I am also always grateful to find male protagonists that are believable and appropriate and engaging. Adam is so hard on himself and lives in a bit of denial, but he is so compassionate to the people around him.  He works so hard to do better.  His flaws and failures just make him real and more relatable to my readers.

I was not familiar with Teresa Toten at all, so I headed on over to her website to see what other books she has out there - quite a few for me to explore.  The site also includes a lovely biography that details her childhood wish to be a mermaid, and the rather twisty turny path that led her to be a writer.  I love a good author website.  While there,  I discovered a teachers’ guide to this title.  I will be mentioning this book to the psychology teacher here who expressed an interest in other fiction titles exploring mental issues.  It will be nice to have the guide to share!