Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Author Biography:
Tahereh Mafi is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series. She was born and raised in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where the weather is just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. Shatter Me is her first novel. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062085484
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Reading Level: Ages 14 and up
Reader’s Annotation:
Juliette has had a hard and lonely life in her 17 years in the world. She has been shunned because people are afraid of her and her abilities. Now everything in the world she once knew is changing and the new Power wants to make her a weapon to destroy anything that is left of the old world.
Plot Summary:
Juliette, a 17-year-old outsider, has never known any comforts in her life. No love, no kindness, and especially no one’s touch. Wasting away in an asylum, Juliette suddenly has a “room-mate” thrust upon her. Determined that this is a new kind of torture for her to endure, Juliette tries to ignore the strangely familiar young man, Adam. The evenings bring her fits of night terrors and the days bring little, if any, solace. The world she had once known outside the walls of the asylum is rapidly changing thanks to a regime simply called The Reestablishment. Their goal is to untie the world as one, erasing all past history and creating one unified language among many other goals.
As a short time passes, Juliette cannot help but want to become closer to Adam. She slowly begins to bond with him trying to shed feelings inside her head that he is a young boy from her past; the only boy that ever gave her any kind of hope or distant friendship. One day Juliette is yanked from her cell and told that she will be moving out of the asylum with Adam in tow. When she arrives at her new home she finds that her host is one of the top men in The Reestablishment’s campaign, Warner – and he knows her dirty little secret. Warner had been searching to find an exceptional weapon and believes he has done so in Juliette. Her room-mate Adam was sent on a special military mission to find the girl that can kill with her touch, and that is Juliette.
Warner proves to want much more than Juliette as a weapon almost from the beginning. His sick and twisted thought process believes that he and Juliette can one day be in love and hold power together. Juliette despises Warner and will do anything she needs to do to escape from his clutches. Once she realizes that Adam did not abandon her and that he is really a traitor to The Reestablishment’s cause, they concoct a scheme to get out of Warner’s clutches. During this time Juliette and Adam begin to fall for one another and discover that Adam can touch her skin without being injured, and he was the only person ever able to do so.
Adam and Juliette run through the restricted district to find shelter and safety in an area outside the district limits. Their adventure continues as they begin to deal with Warner and his men not giving up on Juliette’s whereabouts, leading them to find some allies that are more like Juliette (and Adam) than anyone ever suspected.
Critical Evaluation:
Although Shatter Me could easily be seen as just another teen love story that involves supernatural beings, the story is truly much deeper than that. If the supernatural aspect is taken out of the book we are left with a very relatable character that feels like a distant outsider and is simply not comfortable within her own body. Outside life pressures add to her discomfort and it takes a special person to see her in a different light to make things start to come around for her.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
Defensive Maneuvers:
Book Talk Ideas:
Have you ever wanted super powers? What about the ability to kill with a single touch? Sure, that would be a pretty neat ability, but what if you had no way to control it? Would you want that power then?
Why This Book?
Shatter Me is a fast read with a love story and an adventure that should keep most teens interest. It uses “super powers” as a way for teens to be able to relate to personal life events, such as bullying or problems with self image. Shatter Me also teaches readers that being different or unique does not have to be a negative.
Tahereh Mafi is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series. She was born and raised in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where the weather is just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. Shatter Me is her first novel. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062085484
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Reading Level: Ages 14 and up
Reader’s Annotation:
Juliette has had a hard and lonely life in her 17 years in the world. She has been shunned because people are afraid of her and her abilities. Now everything in the world she once knew is changing and the new Power wants to make her a weapon to destroy anything that is left of the old world.
Plot Summary:
Juliette, a 17-year-old outsider, has never known any comforts in her life. No love, no kindness, and especially no one’s touch. Wasting away in an asylum, Juliette suddenly has a “room-mate” thrust upon her. Determined that this is a new kind of torture for her to endure, Juliette tries to ignore the strangely familiar young man, Adam. The evenings bring her fits of night terrors and the days bring little, if any, solace. The world she had once known outside the walls of the asylum is rapidly changing thanks to a regime simply called The Reestablishment. Their goal is to untie the world as one, erasing all past history and creating one unified language among many other goals.
As a short time passes, Juliette cannot help but want to become closer to Adam. She slowly begins to bond with him trying to shed feelings inside her head that he is a young boy from her past; the only boy that ever gave her any kind of hope or distant friendship. One day Juliette is yanked from her cell and told that she will be moving out of the asylum with Adam in tow. When she arrives at her new home she finds that her host is one of the top men in The Reestablishment’s campaign, Warner – and he knows her dirty little secret. Warner had been searching to find an exceptional weapon and believes he has done so in Juliette. Her room-mate Adam was sent on a special military mission to find the girl that can kill with her touch, and that is Juliette.
Warner proves to want much more than Juliette as a weapon almost from the beginning. His sick and twisted thought process believes that he and Juliette can one day be in love and hold power together. Juliette despises Warner and will do anything she needs to do to escape from his clutches. Once she realizes that Adam did not abandon her and that he is really a traitor to The Reestablishment’s cause, they concoct a scheme to get out of Warner’s clutches. During this time Juliette and Adam begin to fall for one another and discover that Adam can touch her skin without being injured, and he was the only person ever able to do so.
Adam and Juliette run through the restricted district to find shelter and safety in an area outside the district limits. Their adventure continues as they begin to deal with Warner and his men not giving up on Juliette’s whereabouts, leading them to find some allies that are more like Juliette (and Adam) than anyone ever suspected.
Critical Evaluation:
Although Shatter Me could easily be seen as just another teen love story that involves supernatural beings, the story is truly much deeper than that. If the supernatural aspect is taken out of the book we are left with a very relatable character that feels like a distant outsider and is simply not comfortable within her own body. Outside life pressures add to her discomfort and it takes a special person to see her in a different light to make things start to come around for her.
Curriculum Ties:
- Dystopia
- Self Worth
- Bullying
Challenge Issues:
- Supernatural elements
- Sexual situations
- Murder
Defensive Maneuvers:
- Have the library's collection policy on hand and memorized. Even though you may have it committed to memory, being able to show specific provisions as proof with strengthen your position.
- Be familiar with the book. Having great knowledge of it will prove you understand the content and the way the challenged matters interact with each other. The supernatural elements aren't a strike against religious values or morals, nor is there any commentary about religion. Sexual situations aren't overdone, and murder is a plot device rather than a titillating element.
- Cite any awards the book may have. Though the patron may disagree with the book, showing that it is well known and seen as having great literary merit will strengthen your defense.
- Have a few reviews ready from respected sources such as Amazon or VOYA. At the very least, you can prove you understand the material and reviews will corroborate that.
- Have a strong idea WHY that item is in the library. Explain its merits, who the intended audience is, and so on.
- State your library's commitment to providing intellectual freedom as written in the Library Bill of Rights.
- Stay calm. Getting defensive or hot under the collar will only weaken your position.
- And finally, be open to discussion and LISTEN. Even if you do not agree with the patron, their concerns are still legitimate and you should show that you are engaged with them. Listening to their concerns may be enough to take the edge off.
Book Talk Ideas:
Have you ever wanted super powers? What about the ability to kill with a single touch? Sure, that would be a pretty neat ability, but what if you had no way to control it? Would you want that power then?
Why This Book?
Shatter Me is a fast read with a love story and an adventure that should keep most teens interest. It uses “super powers” as a way for teens to be able to relate to personal life events, such as bullying or problems with self image. Shatter Me also teaches readers that being different or unique does not have to be a negative.