SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

January 4, 2016 by Robin Willis

Middle School Monday – See How They Run by Ally Carter

January 4, 2016 by Robin Willis   Leave a Comment

MSMAlly Carter is one of my favorite authors for a number of reasons. She writes complex, dynamic female characters who are tested mentally, emotionally, and physically. Sometimes they fail, but they ultimately succeed and come out stronger, usually with the help of their friends. These are important themes for my middle school students to experience within the safe pages of a gripping story, and Carter delivers every time. Her latest installment in the Embassy Row series is no exception.

See How They Run follows closely on the heels of the first book in the series, All Fall Down. (I’m going to attempt to be non-spoilery in my description, but you may want to skip this review if you haven’t read the first book.) Grace is introduced by Mrs. Chancellor to the secret society formed by female descendants of the original Adrians. She finds, somewhat to her horror, that she will be sharing her introduction and training with Lila, the twin sister of her best friend, Noah, who is not overly fond of either of them. Her brother Jamie makes a surprise visit home from West Point because he is understandably worried about her (see the end of the first book.) He brings with him his good friend Spence, another West Point cadet with connections to Adria.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

carterVery quickly into the novel, there is a murder and her good friend/crush/brother’s best friend Alexi is a suspect. As Grace and her friends go deeper into the mystery surrounding the murder, things only become more confusing and complex. Grace discovers, on her own and with her friends, more of the secrets of Adria’s past. Grace is certain that there is more going on than she can see, and she’s not wrong. In the tradition of the best written thrillers, Grace finds herself in a position where she is not sure who she can trust, both to tell her the truth and to keep her secrets.

I think my favorite part of this novel is Carter’s exploration of the effects of what can best be described as post traumatic stress on Grace’s mental stability and emotional health. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that the events in the first novel brought up a traumatic event from Grace’s earlier life and then added to it in spectacular fashion. Carter manages to dig deeper into Grace’s damaged psyche than one might reasonable expect within the pages of a gripping thriller, and she does so with compassion and insight. Many of my students are dealing with the effects of post traumatic stress either in their lives or the lives of those they love. Carter provides an age appropriate exploration of its effects on an extremely sympathetic main character that will leave readers with a better understanding of the devastation it causes and more empathy for those who have to deal with it. For students who aren’t yet ready for more mature explorations of the topic (such as Laurie Halse Anderson’s The Impossible Knife of Memory) this is an excellent choice. I highly recommend the inclusion of this series in any collection serving 7th through 10th grade students.

Filed under: Ally Carter, Middle School Monday

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Robin Willis

After working in middle school libraries for over 20 years, Robin Willis now works in a public library system in Maryland.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

VOTE! The 2023 Undies Awards

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2023 Funny Picture Books

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

David Ezra Stein on Beaky Barnes | Interview

by Brigid Alverson

Heavy Medal

The Narrow-It-Down Poll: Help us finalize our Heavy Medal Book List

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

November 2023 Election Hot Take: It was a good night for libraries, a bad night for censorship

by Peter Bromberg

The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Three July 2021 YA Debut Authors Open Up About Their Protagonists

Three Debut YA Authors Explore Identity and Connection

Surviving Conversion Therapy with the Power of Bowie | James Brandon on his debut YA, “Ziggy, Stardust and Me”

A Peek at the SLJTeen Live! Books

“It’s Not Nancy Drew Out There": Writing Tough Topics for Teens

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
  • Read Free Poster
  • 2023 Youth Media Awards
  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023