Stronger Than You Know

August 1, 2014
A teen's first steps toward recovery are here sensitively portrayed. Given her history, Joy's name "is sort of a lesson in irony." After suffering years of neglect and physical abuse at the hands of her mother-including sexual abuse at the hands of one of her mother's boyfriends-Joy breaks free and is placed under the care of her aunt and uncle. But it's just the beginning of Joy's journey: She's scared of her uncle and other men, she suffers panic attacks and nightmares, and she struggles both to talk to anyone and to eat a full meal. Thanks to assignments from her therapist, Joy slowly makes progress, becoming friends with the charming Justin and wild Daisy, forming relationships with her family, and even learning kung fu. But realistically, there are setbacks, too-mostly minor, but she handles them until a much worse one occurs: Joy is told she must testify against her mother in person. Has Joy's "journey of self-discovery" made her strong enough to face this? Perry deftly avoids the problem-novel label thanks to complex characters and a well-structured plot. Joy's story is very affecting, and her voice is suitably self-effacing without being ostentatious; most readers will be engrossed. For those not quite ready for Ellen Hopkins, this novel is a good choice. (Fiction. 14-16)

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September 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Joy is a 15-year-old who has been removed from her mother's care and placed in the home of her aunt and uncle after suffering years of abuse and neglect by her mother and her mother's "friends." The novel flashes back to Joy's terrible moments of imprisonment in her mother's trailer, but the story's strength lies in the protagonist's recovery process and how she learns to trust and become part of a family. The teen's phobias and difficulties are depicted with honesty and sympathy, and readers will struggle along with her as she begins to interact with her new family and her peers. While the subject matter is tough, this realistic title will draw teens in with its believable characters, including the well-written portrayal of the adult protagonists. A go-to work for fans of realistic fiction about teens who have survived severe abuse: physical, sexual, and emotional.-Sarah Wilsman, Kent Free Library, Kent, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 I wish I could tell them about how much more my heart feels scarred. . . . My body is just a body, but the rest of it . . . that's where the damage is. In her latest novel, Perry explores the emotional and physical destruction of neglect and haunting abuse from the perspective of 15-year-old Joy. Experiencing intense anxieties on a second-to-second basis, she discovers that what she once considered a normal life with her mother is something that many don't survive. Perry's descriptions of Joy's intense turmoil are vivid: Joy's first day of school feels like swimming through a crowded fish tank, she has a need to disappear, and the thought of speaking two sentences makes it hard for her to breathe. Helped by evolving, positive relationships with friends, family members, and her boyfriend, as well as her enthusiasm for kung fu, Joy gradually gains the strength to begin to let go of her past, find comfort, and let joy spread into her world. A moving survival story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)