Jellicoe Road

Marchetta, Melina. Jellicoe Road. New York: Harper’s Collins, 2006.


Annotation: Abandoned at a 7-11 when she was 11 years old, Taylor Markham is haunted by the last time she saw her mother.

Justification for nomination: Taylor Markham is the central protagonist in a story filled with many protagonists. She is rescued by a stranger at the 7-11 and taken to Jellicoe boarding school. She has limited relationships and is angry most of the time, but she decides in her 11th year to take on the responsibilities of leading her house. She learns about the war games between the cadets, townies, and the houses at the school. When I first started this book, I was very lost as to what was going on. I was frustrated because I could not make connections with the plot line, characters, and setting. I decided to stick with it because it was a Printz award winner and fellow students highly recommended it. Boy, am I glad I did. This is a book is a rollercoaster ride about two stories; one being told in the past and one being told in the present that come together in the end. The author Melina Marchetta is a master at weaving an intricate web decorated with many plot lines, characters, and a beautiful writing prose. The protagonists have an authentic teenage voice that many YA readers can relate to; this may be due to the fact that the author is also a school teacher. The story line can be intimidating to young or struggling readers. It definitely requires an effort from the reader to make connections and fill in the blanks as the author introduces new clues. The reader is not given any background information on the characters, the setting, or the plot. As Taylor learns more about her past and her life, so does the reader. It would be easy to give up on this book in the early chapters, but I suggest that the reader stick with it and be rewarded with an incredible ending. Marchetta touches on many themes that resonate with teen readers. The themes covered in the book are: abandonment, love, sex, hope, friendship, family, loss, forgiveness, identity issues, drugs, and self discovery.

Genre: Printz award winner, fiction, coming of age, suspense/mystery, edgy, search for identity, romance, realistic novel