Daisy Whitney is one of my favorite authors (her books are like my literary comfort food), who I started to adore after reading her debut novel, THE MOCKINGBIRDS, as part of the Contemps Challenge last year. She writes great contemporary novels with likeable characters & meaningful messages &, of course, kissing. She also happens to be one of the nicest, most friendly people I know-she even skyped with my students who read her book last year! And, most excitingly, the sequel to last year’s debut, THE RIVALS, came out today!
So, happy, happy book birthday, Daisy!!! And happy book reading to all of you out there – make sure to read THE MOCKINGBIRDS if you haven’t yet (and why haven’t you?! It’s so important and so good!), and then get THE RIVALS to see what happens to Alex next. In celebration of THE RIVALS being out today, I decided to repost my recommendations for both books here. Enjoy & then go buy the books!
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: November 2, 2010
Number of Pages: 332
How I Got It: Won it from The Contemps Challenge
Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.
Themis
Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body
that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the
Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has
two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the
Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the
wrongs of their fellow peers.
In this honest, page-turning account
of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy
Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or
someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.
THE MOCKINGBIRDS
is one of those books that is so powerful for young adults to read, but
deals with a very sensitive topic. In the same way that SPEAK
by Laurie Halse Anderson brought the topic of date rape and it’s
psychological impact on a high school girl to adolescents eleven years
ago, Daisy Whitney is doing it now in a more straight-forward way in her
debut novel, THE MOCKINGBIRDS. To
then find out that the author herself has personal experience with this,
makes it all the more clear how true and accurate the portrayal of
Alex’s experiences in the aftermath of this horrifying experience are
throughout this novel. At the start of the book Alex wakes up next to a
boy she doesn’t know and isn’t able to remember how she got there. As
she goes through that day trying to figure out and remember what
happened to her, it becomes apparent that she was incapacitated and date
raped. At her boarding school, where the adults trust the students to
behave honorably because they are so exceptional in all they do, she has
no adults to turn to for help, especially because she herself isn’t
sure of what happened. So, with the help and support of her close and
loyal friends, she debates about turning to The Mockingbirds, a secret
society made up of students who have decided to police and judge their
own and right the wrongs fellow students commit. Alex’s journey to find
her truth and path is searingly honest and provides a powerful example
of struggling to discover one’s own truth and sense of right and wrong,
and what one will do to find it.
I
read this book in one day – I just wasn’t able to put it down because
Alex’s story is so engrossing and captivating, providing a powerful
message for young adults. It provides an interesting look at how those
who want to stand up for others and do the right thing can organize a
system to police themselves that works. It sends a strong message that
“the absence of a no does not mean yes.” It touches on bullying issues
as well, and shows another way of looking at high school students: if
they know what others are doing is wrong, what are they willing to do
about it? At Themis Academy, The Mockingbirds are willing to do what it
takes to call out those who have wronged others and support the victims
in every way. Whitney’s writing style drew me in, made me interested in
the story and what was happening, and gave me clues along the way that
propelled the story forward along with my desire to read it. She wrote
smart, real characters with real friendships and struggles and desires.
This book has main and secondary characters who were written so I
honestly cared about them, wanted to know more about them, wanted to
root for them, and would love to hang out with them.
This
book is about doing the right thing, finding yourself and your inner
strength and beliefs by standing up for yourself and others, becoming
stronger in knowing the truth and fighting for it, and surrounding
yourself with ones you love who would stand up for and support you when
you need them. I think the book speaks for itself: “Maybe, ultimately,
that’s what we’re all aspiring to – to have our own sense of right and
wrong and to act on it.”
This is without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read this year, any year really, and I absolutely recommend that you read it! I
look forward to reading more by Daisy Whitney! In fact, book 2 in The
Mockingbirds is coming out in fall 2011 – it will definitely be on my
to-read list!
Other Books You Might Like: SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDEAU-BANKS by e. Lockhart
My review of THE RIVALS from November 25, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 6, 2012
Number of Pages: 352
Source of Book: Requested ARC from publisher
When Alex Patrick was
assaulted by another student last year, her elite boarding school
wouldn’t do anything about it. This year Alex is head of the
Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police and protect the
student body. While she desperately wants to live up to the legacy
that’s been given to her, she’s now dealing with a case unlike any the
Mockingbirds have seen before.
It isn’t rape. It isn’t bullying.
It isn’t hate speech. A far-reaching prescription drug ring has sprung
up, and students are using the drugs to cheat. But how do you try a case
with no obvious victim? Especially when the facts don’t add up, and
each new clue drives a wedge between Alex and the people she loves most:
her friends, her boyfriend, and her fellow Mockingbirds.
As Alex
unravels the layers of deceit within the school, the administration, and
even the student body the Mockingbirds protect, her struggle to
navigate the murky waters of vigilante justice may reveal more about
herself than she ever expected.
THE MOCKINGBIRDS was one of my absolute favorite books of last year, and
I absolutely recommend it to everyone if you haven’t read it yet
(which, if you haven’t, you need to go do immediately!!!)! And, Daisy is
really fabulous – she even did a skype visit with my students after I
was raving about her book on twitter. So, I was really excited to get an
advanced copy of this sequel to read the continuation of Alex’s story
after the events she went through in the first book. Now, as the leader
of The Mockingbirds (since she was helped by them in the first book) she
has a whole new set of struggles to deal with.
still a real girl with doubts, insecurities, hopes, mistakes, and the
desire to do right. She stands up for what she believes in no matter
what and is a truly loyal friend. Her honesty and desire to do what’s
right is inspiriting. It was great to read this book and get to watch
Alex continue her recovery from last year’s (book’s) date rape and
rediscover and recognize the strength she has in herself. It’s not an
easy journey for her, but with the help of true friends and others who
are willing to stand up to those who are wrong, she makes the right
choices in the end.
It is the only organization that is providing a safe outlet to those who
have been wronged. There are interesting lessons on government, power,
and human nature in this book. It really delves into what can students
do when they feel adults won’t help them – and I appreciated the message
that there are some adults who will stand up and do what’s right when
they see kids needing help – even if the kids don’t see it at first.
It’s an interesting journey of realizing you don’t have to go it alone.
comfort food of my reading life. There’s just something so comforting
in her contemporary style imbued with profound lessons in a non-preachy
way, oh, and there’s always kissing thrown in. It’s all about who we
choose to be in these books and how to find the courage to change our
ways, be who we should, and do the right thing. That is true strength,
bravery, and justice. It’s about integrity, standing up for what’s
right, going for what you believe in, and doing right even in the face
of adversity. All strong messages for teen girls.
and I’m so excited to know that she has several more different books in
the works so we’ll be able to continue reading her books for a long
time.
Daisy Whitney handled the sensitive subject of date rape in a brilliant way.It is a must read for every teenage girl. It is written in a way that every girl will "get" the message Ms. Whitney wants them to understand.