Hello everyone! My name is Ashley Lysiak and I’m currently a
graduate student in the Literacy Education program at Nazareth. I am an English
teacher who works with high school students in Spencerport and I love YA
novels; I am constantly on the lookout for new books that teens would enjoy.
That’s why the Teen Book Festival is my paradise! There’s tons of great,
quality literature written by fascinating people.
One of those fascinating people is award-winning author A.S.
King. I decided to read A.S. King’s Please
Ignore Vera Dietz (a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book) after meeting her
in person at the TBF Read-a-Thon this year. She spoke to a small group of fans
and read a few select passages from her book; I was instantly captivated. Ms.
King is clever, witty, and honest and that is exactly how she writes in all of
her novels.
With her writing, King has the ability to draw you in and
get you lost in the story. She opens her novel with the line: “Before I died, I
hid my secrets in the Master Oak.” What?! Immediately an avalanche of questions
cascaded into my mind: Who’s dead? What kind of secrets need to be hidden like
this? What’s the significance of the Master Oak? Who’s telling the story? A lot
is set up for the reader just in that opening line and I was instantly hooked.
The story focuses on the troubled life of Vera Dietz who
lives alone with her oftentimes sanctimonious and somber father. Vera has just
lost her best friend in the whole world, a boy named Charlie, who grew up down
the street from the Dietz house. But Vera is haunted by bitter memories of
Charlie because of the cruel things he did before he died a mysterious and dark
death, blamed for a horrible crime that happened on the day he died. Only Vera knows the truth and has the ability
to clear Charlie’s name. But will she, after all he’s done to hurt her? This
leads to Vera feeling extremely conflicted and guilty, asking the question: “Is
it okay to hate a dead kid? Even if I loved him once? Even if he was my best
friend? Is it okay to hate him for being dead?” Charlie was full of secrets
during his short lifetime; some innocent and others dark, but he always
confided in Vera whom he knew he could always trust. Even after Charlie changed
and their friendship was damaged beyond repair, Vera still kept those secrets
for Charlie. Which is why his death is so difficult for Vera; she is constantly
walking the line between hating Charlie and loving him.
While this novel grapples with some dark themes, it’s very
well-written and even hilarious at times. If you enjoy books written by John
Green, then you’ll enjoy King’s similar writing style. I can guarantee you’ll
become invested in these characters; they’re complex and three-dimensional, which
is what makes them so fascinating. There is no black and white when it comes to
good people and bad people, only shades of gray. But those shades of gray,
caught in between morality and darkness, are what make these characters so realistic
and easy to relate to. It’s not often that a novel manages to be both
tragically heartbreaking and hilariously witty, but A.S. King’s Please Ignore Vera Dietz manages to do
just that.
For more information on A.S. King, you can visit her website
at http://www.as-king.com/
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