The File on Angelyn Stark

By: Catherine Atkins


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780375869068
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publication date: 11/8/2011
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 657,908
Age range: 14 – 17 Years
Product dimensions: 5.82 (w) x 8.52 (h) x 0.91 (d)

Summary: Angelyn Stark is in high school. She has a small group of friends and a popular boyfriend. She does okay in school, but does not feel like she is intelligent. We first meet Angelyn in the bathroom. She is smoking with her friends, when a girl comes in to use the restroom. This is off-limits. Angelyn and her friends make sure the girl knows that from now on, she is not allowed to go into that restroom during that break. As the girls leave, the girl tells Angelyn that she knows someone who knows her. The girl tells Angelyn about Mrs. Daly, a former neighbor and tutor of Angelyn’s, and how she sees Mrs. Daly when she volunteers at the old folks home. From there, Angelyn is late to class, but her teacher gives her a break, and then at lunch she goes to drink beers with her friends and boyfriend. She is caught by her teacher again while she is fooling around with her boyfriend in the truck. Her teacher talks to her and tells her to not give herself away. We then follow Angelyn around and learn that her home life is not that great. I could go on, but I don’t want to do a play by play of the story. The basics are that Angelyn is finding out about herself and dealing with a lot of things that other teenagers are also dealing with. Her boyfriend is pressuring her to do things she doesn’t want to do, her friends leave her when she breaks up with him, and the abuse that has happened in her life seems to linger throughout everything. It’s very candid and realistic.

My thoughts: I think one of my favorite parts about this book is the fact that you see Angelyn struggling with decisions. When her boyfriend is trying to get her to have sex with him, she keeps passively pushing him off. As a high school teacher, I’m afraid to say that I see this happening and read accounts from my students about similar things as well. It is very hard to say no. Even as an adult, I believe we have a hard time saying no. Angelyn says no, but there are consequences to that action. It’s interesting how she weighs pros and cons within her head and how she views the world around her. The reason I go so into this book is because of the complete honesty involved. It does not sugar coat issues, skirt around issues, or exaggerate. The File on Angelyn Stark is just like reading the diary of a teenage girl. I appreciated it and know that my female high school students will enjoy it as well. I’m always being asked for books that are more realistic and “more like me.” It’s nice to give them one that is well written and still appropriate for their age group.
(5 stars) ( )