Alone by Megan E. Freeman

Pre-K - 6th grade selection - Novel in Verse category – Juvenile

Genre

Juvenile Fiction

Novel in Verse

Target Age Group

Ages 9 - 12

5th - 8th grade

Lexile Level: 690 according to Novel List (EBSCOhost, 2020)

Summary

Teenage rebellion with dire consequences? Alone follows teenage Maddie after she is left behind when her hometown is quickly, and suspiciously, evacuated overnight. With a dog for a companion, Maddie’s survival skills are put to the test as she faces natural disasters and other harrowing events, but her biggest challenge is being utterly alone.

Justification

I had never heard of a Novel in Verse until starting this assignment and had no idea how to start my search. My local public library has this novel cataloged and shelved as Juvenile Fiction and will appear when searching “novel in verse”, but thankfully my coworker is my library branch’s Youth Library Associate and works closely with children and tween patrons, suggested this book to me (Tulsa City-County Library [TCCL], n.d.). Alone has won several school/state awards including the Colorado Book Award, and Vermont Golden Dome Award. It was also a Young Reader Medal and Sequoyah Award nominee, as well as earning a spot on the 2022 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers from the Young Adult Library Services Association (meganereeman.com; TCCL, n.d.).

Evaluation

For this review, I will be evaluating the novel's mood, style and language, and plot.

The mood of a story is very important to consider when speaking with other readers because it is the most likely element to draw a reader in. Megan E. Freeman created a suspenseful and desperate atmosphere in her novel, Alone. Any kid, myself included, who is home alone is going to be nervous at the sound of someone knocking on the door. You become tense, and wary, listening for any sound to determine safety. Suspense is created when Maddie hears people outside the door the night before she finds herself utterly alone and is a common sensation throughout her journey of survival. Desperation is felt coming from Maddie’s entire inner monologue: desperate for answers, for food and shelter, for her family. Megan E. Freeman concocts this ambiance to put the readers in a headspace where they have to keep turning the page to satisfy this need to see the story resolved and the feelings of suspense and desperation comforted.

A novel in verse is a narrative written in the form of poetry, following a cadence and setting the scene. Most traditionally written novels will include exceedingly descriptive language to set the scene for the reader to experience whereas authors of novels in verse utilize the lyrical nature of poetry to simply conjure the scene. Megan E. Freeman uses simple language throughout Alone that is easy for readers to follow and understand, but in doing so she also leaves a lot of room for reader interpretation. Freeman also introduces heavy topics such as grief and regret to her young intended audience and explores these feelings through the eyes of a teenager. Having the solitary voice of the narrative being a teenager makes this story relatable while also leading the reader to feel deep emotions alongside Maddie in her matter-of-fact teenage way. To be more specific, Megan E. Freeman uses a seemingly insignificant moment to take readers through Maddie’s predicament and emotions: Maddie experiences her first menstruation during her second year of being alone. The use of poetry to tell this story makes these particular few pages profoundly impactful as she focuses on the simple ageless yearning for one’s mother. Without knowing what this novel was about, I read these passages to my mother and she almost breathlessly said “That just pulls at your heartstrings (B. Ramirez, personal communication, February 5, 2024).” The simplicity of the language used, the voice of a teenager, and the flow of poetry are what make this novel a page-turner.

Teenage rebellion converges with a dystopian narrative in Megan E. Freeman’s Alone. As stated in the Summary above, the teenage character Maddie is left behind suddenly when her hometown is evacuated during the night. Freeman takes the reader on a survivalist journey, following Maddie and her four-legged companion George as they scavenge for life essentials, withstand Colorado weather, and face looters and natural disasters. This story is a page-turner and will be intriguing for just about any young reader. However, the question “well what happened” remained. Spoiler: the novel came to a happy conclusion, but it never went further into the reason why Maddie and George were left behind other than three lines of poetry on one of the last few pages of the novel. I believe that Megan E. Freeman missed a great story opportunity by not exploring the threat, but the mundane nature of Maddie’s introspections fit this novel well. Taking away from Maddie’s narrative would be removing the impact of her aloneness. As an adult, I want more information on the threat, but if I were a young kid or even a tween, I would most likely be satisfied with the novel in its entirety.

I gave this novel 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads as I enjoyed this book immensely and could not put it down. The story was great and I did not have any trouble believing that a story like this could take place. It is great for any young reader as the subject matter isn’t heavy and doesn’t include any explicit content.  I have read another novel in verse for this assignment, so I knew what to expect in terms of style and formatting, but I enjoyed this read much more than the other novel in verse.

 

References and Other Helpful Resources

Alone. (n.d.). Meganefreeman.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://www.meganefreeman.com/

EBSCOhost. (2020). Alone. NoveList Plus. https://search-ebscohost-com.db.tulsalibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=10939745&site=novp-live

Freeman, M.E. (2021). Alone. Aladdin.

Goodreads. (n.d.). Alone. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49202861-alone?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_14

Tulsa City-County Library. (n.d.). Alone. Catalog. https://tccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S63C5576463