Book Review Module 6 -- Jellicoe Road

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Marchetta, Melina. 2006. Jellicoe Road. NY: Harper Teen. ISBN -- 9780061431838

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Melina Marcheta spins a tale foreign to most American teens, both because of the setting and the format. Taylor Markham may be a teen, but an Australian teen in a boarding school with none of the romance of days gone by might be a harder sell than many American teens might be willing to work for. There is no question that the characters are gripping. Taylor definitely has an appeal, as do Jonah, Raffaella, and Ben. She does have an intriguing story, but the plot is so convoluted that until the last pages, the reader may still not understand all of its intricacies. In a shorter work, what one learns in the first pages can be quickly recalled and placed neatly in its slot, but at 421 pages, some of those facts are lost to the reader. On the other hand, the tome does scream for a second read, if only to piece together the plot.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Melina Marchetta has a knack for writing stories that swallow you up and refuse to let you go until you've read every last word....Marchetta is a master at creating intriguing characters and her stories are heartfelt."- Sydney Morning Herald

A beautifully rendered mystery.- (Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

...the novel might put off casual readers, [but] patient, thoughtful teens will remain to extract clues from the interwoven scraps of Hannah's narrative... Elegiac passages and a complex structure create a somewhat dense, melancholic narrative with elements of romance, mystery, and realistic fiction (School Library Journal)

... nearly every relationship in Taylor’s life has unexpected ties to her past, and the continual series of revelations is both the book’s strength and weakness; the melodrama can be trying, but when Marchetta isn’t forcing epiphanies, she has a knack for nuanced characterizations and punchy dialogue. The complexity of the backstory will be offputting to younger readers, but those who stick it out will find rewards in the heartbreaking twists of Marchetta’s saga. (Booklist)


CONNECTIONS
*an excellent guide for use in the classroom is available at http://www.penguin.co.nz/webfiles/PenguinGroupNZ/files/OnJellicoeRdTeachNotes.pdf
*have students research Australia
*have students create a map of Jellicoe school, townie, and cadet lands based on the descriptions in the novel
*prepare a display of several novels with friendship, family, or Australian themes