jennifer chan is not alone by tae keller

Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone is a razor-sharp, realistic portrayal of kids mismanaging their insecurities and coping by bullying others. Overall, this is one of those stories you simply need to experience for yourself. It was insightful to see her thoughts about her toxic friendship with the popular girl, Reagan, and get a closer look at other characters like Tess and other kids at school. I loved seeing Mallory grapple with what it means to be a good person vs. Jennifer would’ve benefited from some emotional (and perhaps mental health) support after her father’s death. Jennifer’s belief in aliens is powerful in what it represents - a need to be understood and not alone in the world. I loved getting to know so many of the characters well, even though this story was written from Mallory’s perspective.

This format allows us to follow Mallory in real-time as she tries to figure out Jennifer’s whereabouts.Īt its core, this story is about bullying, why some kids bully others, and why others become silent bystanders. Keller does a fantastic job of peeling back the layers in the “Now” and “Then” chapters that show us how Jennifer and Mallory became friends and how things fell apart. This was a gripping mystery with a haunting opening line. The story alternates between past and present as readers discover that Mallory’s search is also motivated by an ulterior motive: the need to prove that she and her popular friends didn’t run Jennifer Chan out of town with their bullying. Mallory reunites with two former friends begging them to help her find Jennifer following clues from her time with Jennifer and the diary Jennifer left behind. As whispers begin, her next-door neighbor Mallory Moss worries that Jennifer may have been abducted by aliens (which Jennifer believed existed).

Tae Keller’s newest middle grade book, Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone, opens with new girl Jennifer Chan declared missing at her middle school.

Jennifer chan is not alone by tae keller