Monday's Not Coming
By Rachel Sarah,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gripping thriller about a girl disappearing without a trace.
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Based on 5 parent reviews
Many Challenging Subjects Including Sexuality Topics
Great read for older teens
This book definitely kept my attention, and after reading it, I almost want to read it again to see all the foreshadowing I missed. However, this book is definitely more for mature teens. For sexual references, it should definitely be more than just one star. There were a multitude of sexual related topics that I would not want a younger adolescent to read.
What's the Story?
"This is the story of how my best friend disappeared. How nobody noticed she was gone except me. And how nobody cared until they found her ... one year later." As MONDAY'S NOT COMING begins, it's the last year of middle school at Warren Kent in Washington, D.C., and Claudia's best friend is missing. When Monday doesn't show up for the first day of school, Claudia worries, and as the days pass, Claudia's sure something's wrong. She's desperate to find out what happened to her friend, even if no one else seems to care. The storyline jumps around in time as the tension builds and secrets are revealed. In the end, this is a story dedicated to the missing kids of color in this country. "We have not forgotten about you," Jackson says in her dedication. "We will continue to fight and give you a voice. You matter."
Is It Any Good?
This is a gripping page-turner about an eighth-grader who's gone missing. It's also the heartbreaking story of friendship. Monday's Not Coming illustrates with incredible depth how child protective services fails, how alcohol and drugs cause family dysfunction, and how poverty devastates a community. Readers will love the girls in this story who are so real and fully developed. Parents and teachers will appreciate this author's writing on many complex social issues.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about poverty in Monday's Not Coming. How do you talk about class and race issues with your friends and family?
Have you ever decided to help a friend who needed help? What steps did you take to make it happen?
What prejudices might you have against someone who's not like you? Do you know anyone who has a learning disability? Do you know anyone who lives in low-income housing? How can you learn more about people to avoid stereotypes?
Book Details
- Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- Topics: Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , High School , Middle School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date: May 22, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 448
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated: January 28, 2019
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