Shannon Doleski

I am a fan of gentle post-apocalypse stories -- the kind where people are rebuilding and finding ways to survive, and not necessarily facing constant danger. This is an Anne of Green Gables- adjacent post apocalyptic story. I found it odd but compelling. Very strong on the themes of grief and how to deal with intense and universal trauma. First crush love story and intense enjoyment of competition were also quite prevalent. Very hard to take on right now because the apocalypse in question is a pandemic. Ultimately, I enjoyed it a lot, but kept waiting for an attack. Also, really appreciated the non-binary character.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.… (mehr)

Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski, Published 2020. I picked this book because the main message proves that girls and women everywhere can accomplish anything they want to do. It gives hope to little girls that they can grow up to have a more “masculine job” and that they shouldn’t be limited to being a housewife. In the book, little Mary decides to build a submarine and take a risk to get away from her old life and start anew. I would connect this book with English because a big part of the book that is a “hidden theme” is that her dad returned from prison and is acting violent toward Mary (which did not stop Mary from risking her life to live a better one). As serious as this is, there are some students who might have experienced this from a family member. This book shows that anyone is strong enough to get away from a situation like that if needed, and that it shouldn’t hold them back from greatness. “Because her life was not what she wanted it to be, she took a risk into greatness.”… (mehr)