Jennifer Roy

Originally posted on Read Handed .

I read this YA book last year and absolutely loved it. Mindblind is about a teenage boy, Nathaniel, with Asperger's syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) and his struggles with his friends, his parents, his fledgling band, and of course, the girl he likes. Sounds like typical teenage stuff, right? Exactly. Roy does an excellent job showing how Nathaniel is a typical teenage boy (for those who doubted it) with a few special circumstances.

First, show more Nathaniel, at fourteen, has already graduated college and is looking into graduate schools. The problem? He's not sure what to study. Mathematics? Science? Either way, he's convinced he'll have to make some sort of significant contribution to the world before he can consider himself a bona fide genius.

Second, Nathaniel is "mindblind" - it's difficult for him to pick up on social cues and body language, so he often has no clue what others are thinking. His best friend Cooper doesn't mind. Neither does Jessa, Nathaniel's crush. Cooper and Jessa are not only his friends, they're his band mates too. Nathaniel plays keyboard and teams up with Jessa to write a few songs they can perform at their first gig - a friend's bar mitzvah.

In the midst of all this, Nathaniel feels pressure from his dad to be a "normal" teenager with a love for parties and sports instead of formulas and The Amazing Race.

The book is an amazing glimpse into the workings of an "Aspie" mind. Here are a few quotes to give you an idea:

"I grab my laptop the second Cooper returns with it and escape, without even saying good-bye. I mentally rip up the Be Polite memory card and run back to my house, leaving a trail of imaginary social skills behind me" (pg. 152).

"In order to be labeled a genius, I must make a contribution to the world. I can do that. I will start, right after I wash the chocolate off my face. If I want to be seen as a genius, I should not look like an idiot" (pg. 14).

"But fourteen has not been an auspicious age in the life of Nathaniel Clark. For example, have you heard of me? No? Exactly. Because I have not yet become a genius. Yet. Horrifyingly, at age fourteen the equation remains: N ≠ G: Nathaniel does not equal genius" (pg. 16).

Mindblind is filled with lovable and generous characters who love Nathaniel just the way he is (obvious exception: Nathaniel's father). Nathaniel has an understanding, yet firm, mother and several good friends who support him and take his social awkwardness in stride.

I highly recommend this book. It's written for a YA audience, but it's applicable to adults as well. show less

Yellow Star-by Jennifer Roy is a novel told in free verse based on the true story of Sylvia Perimutter who was one of 12 Jewish children (out of 250,000) that survived the Lodz Ghetto in Poland after WWII. The Nazis invaded Lodz Poland in 1939, when Sylvia was 4 ½ years old and her family tried to escape to Warsaw, but had to return for lack of work to Lodz. The Jewish families were segregated and walled off in what would become known as the Lodz Ghetto. The Nazis ordered all children to be show more sent away on the trains to the “work” camps, but Sylvia’s father knew how to pay attention, watch and observe every move the soldiers made so he could outsmart them, and find ways to keep his family safe. Over the years Sylvia’s parents smuggled the children from cellar to cellar, hiding not only Sylvia, but her sister Dora and their cousin Isaac, until 1945 when the Lodz Ghetto was liberated, just one day short of Sylvia’s 10th birthday. In 2006, after 50 years of keeping the story to herself, Sylvia recounts the events to her niece Jennifer Roy, who tells the story from a young Sylvia’s perspective, using a voice that matures with the years and is both realistic and relatable to young readers. The little girl braves hunger and faces with courage the hardships of hiding for years, losing friends, a favorite doll, and practically everything else, but persists by using her imagination to help her withstand the moment and all it entails. show less

My daughter is just at the age where she is learning more deeply about the Holocaust. She asks tons of good questions and like most of us cannot believe that humans can hate and hurt each other with such such heinous intent. Jars of Hope, by Jennifer Roy, is an anecdote to the despair that can overwhelm a child (and adult) in the face of this and provide some hope and understanding that in the midst of such evil there are good and decent people like Irena Sendler, who saved so many children show more during the Holocaust and beyond. The book tells a fascinating and hard story in clear and simple language with illustrations that support the narrative arc of the story in beautiful detail. The author tells the truth of that time, never understating what happened but also leaves young readers with an example of how it is possible too respond to injustice and hate.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you. show less

The Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy is a true story about the Holocaust. The story is told through the eyes of Syvia Perlmutter, a young girl affected by the Holocaust, which was Jennifer Roy's aunt. This real-life perspective allows readers to connect with her feelings of fear, making the story unforgettable. The yellow star itself is a powerful symbol in the book. It represents the discrimination and dehumanization of Jewish people during the holocaust. Literary elements such as vivid imagery show more help bring the historical reality to life as if the reader is a silent character in the book walking alongside Syvia. This was a very emotional book that has always made me stop and think about my family and made me question myself if I would take the risk as Sylvia and her dad did. This book is important for children because it teaches the dangers of prejudice. Sylvia’s experiences can teach lessons of history that are never forgotten, even when they are hard to talk about. This is an appropriate book for young children to learn about the harsh realities that children and families went through. This story has stuck with me through the years and will always be a recommendation for children to encourage empathy and historical understanding. show less