Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 67784
Description: Followed everywhere by the ghost of her recently deceased best friend, Hannah investigates the serial murders of young girls in her community.
Rubric Rating: Level 3: Laud It
Why I read it: I have to admit it was all the cover art that drew me into this novel.
Lori's Notes: Hannah is still dealing with the death of her best friend Lillian. Which would be difficult anyway, except Lillian keeps haunting her. Showing up in her bedroom, sitting on the tv, following her around town. It's very hard for Hannah to sort out her feelings while Lillian continuously runs commentary on her entire life. Worse, there is a serial killer in Ludlow, killing girls in the community, meaning Hannah and her little sister Ariel could be in danger. When the ghosts of the dead girls start appearing to Hannah, giving her clues to their murder, Hannah has no choice but to get involved. There were many things I really liked about this novel. The ending was surprising. Many times I will be able to predict what will happen and this book kept me guessing until the end. The relationships in this novel are believable. Particularly for the girls - and the comments between one another could be heard in any high school. Lillian's death from anorexia draws to mind the difference between being murdered and murdering oneself. She, in effect, was killing herself slowly, and all for a desire for beauty and control. To seek approval from her mother and control over her life. But in the end you do feel her sense of regret that she wasn't able to change. She mourns to Hannah that she is moving on without her but does acknowledge that she is the one who is actually gone. Whenever you have groups of girls there is always competition and the comment made between the girls that "It's not a contest" is pointed. The whole idea of being special and unique is to stand out from everyone else. To dress differently, to look differently, to have a different attitude. And find others like you to feel like you belong. However, when Hannah and Angelie have an argument and Hannah wishes they could return to grade 5 when it was "easy" she is shocked by Angelie's response. Angelie has a totally different opinion of what life was like then - that it was always a contest. The other thing that I really keyed in on was the idea of appearances. The idea that who we appear to be and who we really are aren't necessarily the same. How some people are "nice, but not nice," while others, don't look nice but are kind. People criticize Hannah for liking Finny Boone - because of the way he dresses and his bleached hair and his record, they call him a delinquent. But Finny is the only person who truly sees Hannah - sees the sadness behind her smiles, and she sees him as kind, someone who returns her bracelet, and is willing to come to her rescue. Ariel, Hannah's sister is small but strong and opinionated, Angelie is superficial, she's popular but she isn't kind, in fact she's downright mean. And Lillian, who everyone aspired to be like was never happy in her own skin - to he point that she is no longer even in it. Appearances also have a double meaning in this novel with the appearances of the ghosts - they come to Hannah, they want her to help. And in the end, she is probably the only one who can. This really is a coming-of-age novel, Hannah needs to discover who she is, who she is without Lillian, whether she values the opinions of her friends over her own beliefs and judgements. And whether or not she is willing to deal with the consequences of her decisions.
Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and Up. Overall a fantastic read that lends itself very well for more in-depth study, particularly for whole class literary analysis. Also a good book for girls dealing with body image issues or social group bullying.
Favourite Passages:
"Because the truth is that if everyone's special all the time, then really, no one's special, so maybe all that's left is just to be perfect, because at least that's something you can measure." (Page 70)
"...it's been a while since I've liked having my picture taken. It always makes me feel like I'm being magicked into someone else, and then I don't even know how I look anymore." (Page 79/80)
"Some days I'm pretty, and some days I'm not, and once for three hours and forty-five minutes, I was beautiful." (Page 80)
"Tragedy isn't this evil think that came from outer space. it's just there, you know. Along with everything else." (Page 85)
"It's weird to feel yourself disappearing, becoming imaginary, becoming the person someone else wants to see when she looks at you." (Page 240)
"She ought to understand by now that who I am is not the girl I look like every day...I just never showed it to anyone who might punish or judge me for it, because it's not a contest. Because the fact is, the contest has always been invulnerability, and even when you win, you still lose." (Page 254)
"There are so many things you can't know just from looking at a person." (Page 264)
"You don't even see what I am." (page 292)
Themes: Ghosts, Murder, Serial Killers, Teenagers, Eating Disorders, Anorexia, Being Perfect, Expectations, Contests, Appearances, Coming-of-Age, Self-Realization.
Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: The Machinist (2004)
Paper Crafts: Origami Valentine Hearts
Wikipedia Article: Ghosts
Canadian Mental Health Association: Eating Disorders
Possible Discussion or Essay Topics:
- Why do you think Lillian is haunting Hannah?
- Do you believe in ghosts? Do you have a ghost story to tell?
- How do our perceptions of people and events influence how we feel about them?
- How come Hannah and Angelie have different views about the same time period?
- Does Hannah see herself as popular or someone to be emulated?
- Lillian starts a trend by saying to her friends "It's not a contest". Is this statement true? Why or Why not?
- What different types of ways do we judge one another? Would you take the time to get to know someone if they were radically different than you?
- Were you able to predict the ending? What clues does the author give us about who could be the killer?
- Would you date someone if your friends told you not to or gave you a hard time about seeing them?
- Hannah comes to realize a lot about herself, her family, and her friends in this novel. Write a list of 10 things that you believe to be true about yourself.
- Create a graphic organizer of ways that people judge one another (Ex. skin colour, clothing, piercings) and discuss what sort of positive and negative judgements you might come to based on these appearances.
Other Support Materials:
Other Titles by Brenna Yovanoff:
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