Jackson, T. (2017). Allegedly : a novel. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Summary:
For the past six years, Mary B. Addison has been serving time for killing a 3-month-old baby. Allegedly. She was only nine years old herself. Now, living at a group home with other juvenile delinquents, Mary quietly goes about her day, speaking to no one. Until she becomes pregnant and social services states that she will in no way be allowed to keep her baby. Now the secrets from her past must be revealed so that she can keep her baby. She will need to use her voice and help from her mother to make this happen. But will it be enough?
Reaction:
The beginning of the novel introduces Mary. She has gotten out of “baby jail” and currently lives in a group home with other misfits. None as bad as her though. When she was nine years old, she killed a three-month-old baby. Allegedly.
Part of her parole requires her to fulfill community service hours. She donates her time as a candy striper at an old folk home. It’s there she meets Ted. The first male she has ever really trusted. The father of her unborn baby.
After she learns of her pregnancy and social services intent to give the baby up for adoption, Mary begins to fight for their lives. She begins to speak, something she hasn’t really done in six years. She takes the SATS seriously, using a book Ted bought her to study with despite being constantly told she is stupid and will amount to nothing.
Mary’s story is heartbreaking to hear the more you learn. Her mother, suffering from mental illness, depended too much on Mary or men in her life. Mary had to be responsible at a young age, a common theme in many young adult books of this nature. It is because of Ray, her mother’s boyfriend, she is prescribed ADHD medication without proper doctor consultation. Ray attempts to try something with Mary, but her mother catches it in time. It is Mary’s mother who insists that children won’t have it as bad as an adult baby killer. It is Mary’s mother who insists she tells the police she did it. And Mary loves her mother. Why wouldn’t she protect her?
The same amount of characters that want to tear Mary down - her mother, Ms. Stein, the other girls in the group home - wish to help her be successful. Ted wants to help her raise Bean and does what he can to earn money. Ms. Cora, the lawyer, has always believed in Mary and fights on her behalf. Ms. Claire helps her study and ace the SATS so Mary can have a better life.
Excerpts from different fictional books written about Mary, transcripts from conversations with different people about Mary, the dead baby, and the mothers of the two children involved help shape the story. They’re interwoven rather than at the beginning of each chapter.
Throughout the entire novel, there are hints toward the plot twist revealed at the end of the novel. Little things that, if the reader isn’t looking, could easily be dismissed. Mary’s intelligence, for one, and her reaction to the other girls in the group home stealing her money is a glaring indicator of her true nature.
Allegedly explores the themes of family, justice, and the truth with a decadent twist that will make you want to see what else Tiffany D. Jackson has up her sleeves.
Connections:
Activities:
- Define the word alleged. Find synonyms for the word.
- Have students only read the transcripts available about the case. Using only this for evidence, have students decide if they believe Mary to be innocent or guilty.
- Use the article: Caron, C. (2011, May 26). Girl Allegedly Shoots Dad for Taking Cell Phone, Police Say. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/girl-shoots-dad-taking-cell-phone-police/story?id=13695008 to create your own case. Create interview transcripts with the girl and the father. Prove to the class the girl is guilty or innocent.
- Write a narrative from the perspective of the fly in the wall. What do you see? What do you hear?
- Prompt: How far would you go to protect your own parents?
- Mary is advised to read the newspaper and circle unknown words. Create a bulletin board in your classroom that promotes students finding unfamiliar words in their own reading and displaying them on the board. Students can share the words they’ve found. Words can be used in writing assignments.
- Prompt: How do decisions from your past shape your future? How do these decisions shape your relationship with others?
Other Books About Alleged Convictions:
Lehr, D. (2017). Trell. Somerville, Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press.
- This novel, based on real events, is about a young girl in the search for the truth. Her father was convicted of killing a young girl in a shootout. But she knows he didn’t do it. With the help of a journalist, she finds out the truth.
Books About Life in a Juvenile Detention Center:
- Efaw, A. (2009). After. New York: Viking.
- Peña, M. (2009). We were here. New York: Delacorte Press.
- Strasser, T. (2007). Boot camp. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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