Koryta, Michael. Those Who Wish Me Dead. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2014. Electronic.
Brief Summary: Jace Wilson, 14 years old, has just witnessed a murder. He now must do everything in his power to protect himself from the murderers whose mission it is to kill him. His parents have tried everything to hide him, but these guys are just too good; they have too many allies in too many inside sources. Now, as a last resort, Jace is sent to Montana’s mountains to learn about survival techniques from the best, Ethan Serbin. He is given a new identity in hope that the murderers will not be able to find him, but Jace and everyone around him is in for some surprises.
Overall impression: Fantastic and full of surprises.
Critical Analysis: Although this novel is developmentally appropriate for young adults, I would not have labelled it as a “young adult novel.” The main plot revolves around a 14 year old boy, Jace Wilson, but each chapter alternates (in third person) between him and other characters, all of whom are adults. Young adult readers will no doubt relate with Jace in some way or another, whether it is his bad luck (being in the wrong place at the wrong time), his desire to be safe, etc. However, I do not imagine that younger teens will find much interest in the adult characters. I would recommend this novel to 16 year olds and up, depending on their interests.
The strengths of this novel are its surprises/plot twists, its multiple points of view, and its authentic characters. I could not name any weaknesses besides its lack of focus on the teen character (resulting in a smaller YA audience).
Activity: To promote this book to a teen audience, an outdoor survival course and survival books could be paired with a reading of this novel. The library could bring in a person who could teach teens some basic wilderness survival techniques and he/she could tie them to the events in the book. After the course, teens could be shown the library's collection of nonfiction books on the subject for further reading.
Related Resources: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/ This website has all sorts of information on wilderness survival. Teens who were interested in that aspect of the book could use this resource for further information.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Outdoor-Survival-Skills/zgbs/books/864488 This is a link to an amazon list of books on outdoor survival skill guides. This could be useful for teens interested in this or for librarians who wish to add more of these books to their collection. Published Review: "Those Who Wish Me Dead." Kirkus Reviews 82.11 (2014): 92. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 11 July 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment