Split Image

Split Image
Glenn, Mel

New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000

Annotation: Laura Li is the most perfect girl in school. She gets good grades, she's pretty, she's a great listener, popular, and the boys are crazy about her. But every now and then someone gets a glimpse at the pain that Laura tries to hide in her smile and a daunting thought occurs, maybe she's not as happy as she'd like everyone to believe. Laura Li goes home to her mother and brother-and sometimes her father, who is almost always away on business, to help care for the brother who cannot care for himself. She finds that she's unable to move on in any direction in her life, because of a very strict mother. The final and powerful result of this family structure is provocative and shocking.

Reason for nomination: The way the story is written is in poetry form and is an easy and fast read. The descriptions are vivid even though a lot of vernacular is used. Each character tells their story in whatever format they use and thus each character's writing style is unique. You can never mistake Alejandro Felix for Arthur Feldman, or Lana for her sister Yana. Each character is unique and you forget that one author wrote and compiled all of these works into a book. Laura's situation is not unique, even though the writing is, and presents a different side to traditional lifestyles.

Genre: Multicultural/Verse Novel (Extra Credit)