The Year of Secret Assignments, by Jaclyn Moriarty
I adored The Year of Secret Assignments. It's a fantastic and unusual novel centered around strong friendships and strong personalities. Cass, Em, and Lyd are teenagers who seem like they've been friends forever. Their parents are friends as well, which adds an extra layer to the parent-child relationship that we don't often see.
The girls are suffering through an English class with Mr. Botherit when he gets very excited about the JOY OF THE ENVELOPE, and introduces the Ashbury-Brookfield penpal project. Each student at Ashbury Prep will be writing with a student from Brookfield throughout the semester. The novel is written in the form of letters, emails, diary entries, legal summons, and notes.
As the semester progresses, the girls grow more invested in the penpal project, with Lydia returning to their pastime of "secret assignments." However, the girls grow wary when their "secret assignments" become a little too serious-- Cassie seems to be writing to no one, so who is writing to her?
This is a book full of humor, friendship, and support. There's a lot of flirting with the "bad boys" of Brookfield (of course!) but the girls' friendship is presented as the most important and strongest bond. The girls have strong goals and encourage each other unconditionally, which is refreshing when so many YA novels feature girl fights (lookin at you, Abdul-Fattah) as a tired plot device.
The girls are suffering through an English class with Mr. Botherit when he gets very excited about the JOY OF THE ENVELOPE, and introduces the Ashbury-Brookfield penpal project. Each student at Ashbury Prep will be writing with a student from Brookfield throughout the semester. The novel is written in the form of letters, emails, diary entries, legal summons, and notes.
As the semester progresses, the girls grow more invested in the penpal project, with Lydia returning to their pastime of "secret assignments." However, the girls grow wary when their "secret assignments" become a little too serious-- Cassie seems to be writing to no one, so who is writing to her?
This is a book full of humor, friendship, and support. There's a lot of flirting with the "bad boys" of Brookfield (of course!) but the girls' friendship is presented as the most important and strongest bond. The girls have strong goals and encourage each other unconditionally, which is refreshing when so many YA novels feature girl fights (lookin at you, Abdul-Fattah) as a tired plot device.
How would I teach The Year of Secret Assignments?
A few themes encompassed in the novel include:
- Changing roles in friendships
- Friendships and relationships
- Generations and understanding
- Communication and friendships
- context dependent self-portraits
- Resilience and growth
- Grief and acceptance
What resources could I use to teach The Year of Secret Assignments?
If I were teaching this novel, I would love for students to embark on a letter writing journey similar to Cass, Em, Lyd, Seb, and Charlie. Not only would students be writing in an authentic context with a specific audience (yay!) but they'd have the opportunity to experience how we present ourselves to people who don't know us (as Lydia points out in the novel). This project could be done by "snail mail" or by email (but as Mr. Botherit says, there actually is a Joy Of The Envelope).
A major theme in this book is also the difference between parent/child relationships and friend relationships. I would want students to analyze the ways in which Cassie, Em, and Lydia relate to and rely upon their own parents vs. their friends. Students could add to the epistolary novel by writing letters from the perspectives of (for example) Cassie's mother, Emily's parents, and Lydia's father.
Music is also a central motif in the novel-- Cassie eventually uses one of Matthew's letters to write lyrics to sing on stage for the first time.
A major theme in this book is also the difference between parent/child relationships and friend relationships. I would want students to analyze the ways in which Cassie, Em, and Lydia relate to and rely upon their own parents vs. their friends. Students could add to the epistolary novel by writing letters from the perspectives of (for example) Cassie's mother, Emily's parents, and Lydia's father.
Music is also a central motif in the novel-- Cassie eventually uses one of Matthew's letters to write lyrics to sing on stage for the first time.
Verdict
This book is just so enjoyable to read with such great examples of friendships and relationships that I think it would be valuable in the classroom for grades 8-12.