HAPPY NEW YEAAAARRRR!! …a few days late. *shrug*
Every year, I start out with a goal to read a specific amount of books, religiously documenting them on Goodreads and Instagram. In 2018, I surpassed my goal of 65 books and got to 101. I had my fair share of lousy reads, but found some new favorites to add to my never ending collection as well.
For this year, I saw another Bookstagrammer, @labookclub, set a goal for number of pages instead. I really like that, so I’m taking inspiration from her; my goal this year is to read 25,000 pages. I think it’s a good way to change up my focus, while continuing to get some good reading in for 2019. And by the way, audiobooks count.
I started out on a strong note; Sadie is one intense, spinetingling YA read. Before Winter Break, my students selected this book to discuss in January for our 8th Grade Book Club. Granted, this is written at a 9th grade reading level, but the 8th graders in our BC are mini book connoisseurs who probably have some stellar insights into the plot and character actions. I’m always blown away by their conversations and am really looking forward to discussing this with them.
Sadie – Synopsis & Review
The book is broken into two time periods; before Sadie’s disappearance and after. It’s told from both Sadie’s perspective and that of an investigative journalist hunting down and interviewing individuals who might know of her whereabouts.
From the beginning, the reader is made aware of the murder of Sadie’s younger sister, Mattie. This lose is unbearably devastating for Sadie, who acted as the primary caretaker of her sister during the absence of their wayward, drug-addicted mother. Sadie, who is addled by a stutter, has a hard time expressing her suspicions about who is behind her sister’s death and sets out on a mission to hunt down the killer and make him pay.
As a loner and fairly paranoid young woman, Sadie undertakes this task by herself using the survival skills she honed from her youth to track leads and piece together the whereabouts of her prey.
West McCray, a radio personality turned investigative journalist, hears of Sadie’s disappearance after the tragic death of her sister and becomes personally engrossed in discovering her fate. Through interviews with people Sadie came in contact with along the way, West begins to enfold a disturbing and twisted background story that has the potential to bring a community to it’s knees.
Heart pounding and soul chilling, the reader is taken on a path that uncovers the most deplorable aspects of human nature. You may be left with more questions than answers, but this is definitely not a disappointing book.
Such. A. Good. Book. One of those reads you can sit down and finish in a few hours, then be crushed you devoured it so fast. This is definitely a book that, if you’re considering it for an audience younger than 13, you might want to read through yourself first. There are quite a few F-bombs and the content hits on child abuse and sexual assault. There’s no explicit scenes, but it’s still good to know this information before considering it for your child.
There were a few points in the book where I was required to make some inferences; this added to the complexity and critical thinking needed to really appreciate the storyline and what Sadie was experiencing. I found myself outraged and saddened, but also heartened by Sadie’s strength and undeniable love and loyalty for her sister. Everything Sadie experienced in her life could have been the crushing blow that convinced her to stay down and stop fighting, but she was like a dog with a bone throughout the entire book. She reminds me a lot of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series- total badass with a dark past and a wicked sense of self-preservation.
I’ll have to share a recap of our Book Club conversation – I’m sure my students will have some eye-opening insights I haven’t even considered.
Hope you do yourself a favor and get your hands on this fantastic book – you won’t be sorry!
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
Find your copy of Sadie 