432 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (2011)
ISBN: 0312364423
Reading Level/Lexile: 9th grade and up/NA
Genre: Adult Crossover
Annotation/Teaser: A single night can change your life forever. Zach and Mia are twins and when Lexi comes into their lives the three are inseparable. But then something happens that rips their lives apart and things will never be the same. There are consequences that each must face in the years to come and find a way to move forward.
Plot Summary: Mia and Zach Farraday are twins and have grown up with everything. There mother Jude has devoted her whole life to her kids. Mia is shy and is always overshadowed by her good-looking, outgoing brother. Even so, Jude has high hopes for both of her children. Then Lexi moves into town. Lexi is an orphan who watched her mom kill herself with alcohol. At 14 she moves into a trailer park with her aunt. Lexi meets the twins on the first day of school and she and Mia instantly become inseparable and the best of friends. Lexi immediately falls in love with Zach but never expects him to love her back because of his popularity and good looks. But Zach loves Lexi. He doesn't want to interfere with Lexi and Mia's friendship.
Then one night after a graduation party, Zach is supposed to be the designated driver but has had way too much to drink. Lexi thinks she is fine and makes the decision to get behind the wheel. What happens that night changes the lives of all of them and Jude. This is a decision that Lexi will have to live with for the rest of her life.
About The Author:Kristin Hannah
"I was born in September 1960 in Southern California and grew up at the beach, making sand castles and playing in the surf. When I was eight years old, my father drove us to Western Washington where we called home.
After working in a trendy advertising agency, I decided to go to law school. "But you're going to be a writer" are the prophetic words I will never forget from my mother. I was in my third-and final-year of law school and my mom was in the hospital, facing the end of her long battle with cancer. I was shocked to discover that she believed I would become a writer. For the next few months, we collaborated on the worst, most clichéd historical romance ever written.
After my mom's death, I packed up all those bits and pieces of paper we'd collected and put them in a box in the back of my closet. I got married and continued practicing law.
Then I found out I was pregnant, but was on bed rest for five months. By the time I'd read every book in the house and started asking my husband for cereal boxes to read, I knew I was a goner. That's when my darling husband reminded me of the book I'd started with my mom. I pulled out the boxes of research material, dusted them off and began writing. By the time my son was born, I'd finished a first draft and found an obsession.
The rejections came, of course, and they stung for a while, but each one really just spurred me to try harder, work more. In 1990, I got "the call," and in that moment, I went from a young mother with a cooler-than-average hobby to a professional writer, and I've never looked back. In all the years between then and now, I have never lost my love of, or my enthusiasm for, telling stories. I am truly blessed to be a wife, a mother, and a writer."
Kristin Hannah Bio (n.d.) Retrieved from www.kristinhannah.com
Critical Evaluation: Night Road is a story of love and friendship. The character development starts off strong in the beginning of the book. The friendship between Mia and Lexi begin to develop int he very beginning of the story. The character that I dislike the most is Jude. While I understand her motives as a mom, I feel she is whiny and selfish even before the tragedy that changes their lives. I felt she smothered the twins with her need to keep up with their every move. It was hard for me to be sympathetic to her when I had already developed a dislike for her. I kept hoping that through the tragedy she would grow to be a better person but her character stays the same.
Another element in this book that I would like to highlight is the plot. The plot of this story is quite long in the beginning. I know we need to see the dynamics of the relationships of the characters to each other but I felt this part of the book went on too long. I will however say that the plot was developed well during that time. After the plot twist about a third through the book, the whole story changes. Hannah did a great job in making the reader remember what it is like to be a teenager again but also be a mom who worries about her kids.
Curriculum Ties: English, Language Arts
Book Talk Ideas: Talk about the friendship between Lexi and Mia and how it was affected after the graduation party.
Controversial Issues: Sex, language
Defense:
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understanding of the standards and
policies to show that the selection meets the standards.
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good and bad reviews (both electronic and print) and make sure they are from
reliable and respected sources such as School of Library Journal, Booklist, and
YALSA. I will have copies of these reviews to give away.
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the library's position to provide intellectual freedom as stated in the Library
Bill of Rights and keep a copy of this.
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a written rationale to justify the reasons this material is included in the
collection, such as educational significance and curriculum ties.
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respectful and calm and practice "active listening".
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sure I read the material and are very familiar with it.
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in the event that my other strategies don't work.
Why I Chose This Book? I chose this book because I felt young adults could relate to at least one of the characters in this book. The book was written for adults but the situations and actions in the book portray typical teenage/young adult behaviors.
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