Pandemic (by Yvonne Ventresca)

Well, of course, it only seems fitting that the first book that I will review here is one based on a pandemic during the actual real-life pandemic going on right now. I actually first borrowed this book with my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription in January when I decided to re-try the subscription. (I had first tried Unlimited a few years ago when I was teaching in the North. It took a long time for mail to get to us and Amazon required a much higher minimum purchase to qualify for free shipping - and let me tell you, shipping was not cheap.) I was not super pleased or impressed by what was offered on Unlimited back then, but I will tell you that lately I have been pretty pleased with the number and diversity of books available on Kindle Unlimited. I am actually on the second book in a trilogy that I have borrowed with Unlimited and intend on reviewing them here, too.

Anyway.

According to her website, Yvonne Ventresca won/was nominated for the following awards:

• PANDEMIC won a 2015 Readers' Choice Award from Morris/Essex Health & Life Magazine
• PANDEMIC won the 2015 Atlantic region Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
• PANDEMIC was shortlisted for the 2018 West Australian Young Readers' Book Award.

Published by Sky Pony Press.

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SUMMARY
Pandemic is a young adult, somewhat realistic fiction story about a young teenage girl, Lil, who is faced with heart-wrenching obstacles and struggles during a flu-like pandemic. At first, Lil appears to be your average teen with anxiety and some social awkwardness - but there is something much deeper going on. When we meet her, she has already survived a traumatic event and is not the same person she used to be.  Her behaviour has not gone unnoticed by those around her. While others interpret her actions as being withdrawn and disinterested, these are classic symptoms of something else that is going on.

Lil's parents both leave for work - her mother travels overseas, and her father attends a conference on infectious diseases in another state. As the pandemic continues to quickly unfold, Lil becomes very aware of the danger that she is in and how this could impact her health and those around her. As conditions worsen, she begins to grow into herself as she becomes a strong leader who cares for others while putting herself at risk. As we learn more about her past and her experiences, we can truly come to appreciate how strong she is.

TEXT-TO-WORLD CONNECTION
I found myself to be chuckling aloud at various points in the story, simply because certain aspects of Lil's society during the pandemic were shockingly similar to what we have lived through the current COVID-19 pandemic. No, I don't find anything about pandemics or illness or death to be amusing or funny - it's just almost weird to read your own reality in a novel when you never thought that this would be the current reality.  I thought the two quotes below were extremely... on the nose.

"It's not that the world's going to end, exactly. But the future is too uncertain. I don't think we can guarantee that life will continue the way we expect." (pg. 32)

Tents are set up to handle the overflow of the overwhelming demand in the hospitals, retired health care professionals are asked to come back to work, and there is some debate about which "non-essential" businesses should close or stay open. While Lil's town becomes silent as everyone begins to quarantine, nature ends up being the only sound as Lil walks through her neighbourhood. The distribution of medication becomes a contested affair and only becomes available on the black market. Crime increases. A refrigerated truck is used as a temporary morgue. The term "social distancing" is used.  Frontline workers put themselves at risk by the very nature of their work and are not sufficiently protected. There is speculation of a second wave.

"Loss of business income and school days can be recovered," he said in a press conference earlier today. "Loss of life cannot." (p. 115)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Ventresca has done a really nice job at layering and weaving together a few different themes throughout this story to add some depth to the plot and the characters.  As a woman, I really appreciate how she has written Lil and how she has represented Lil's internal struggles as a survivor.  She has clearly done her research and demonstrated quite beautifully how surviving this trauma impacts multiple aspects of your life and that it is not always consistent.  Trauma is always there and it manifests itself differently in everyone. 

Ventresca has also succeeded at speculating the "what ifs" that emerge when we think about a pandemic.  Clearly, having read this during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I can say with certainty that much of what she envisioned became truth.  This story is a nice "snapshot" of the perspectives of several individuals who are working together to support each other and do what they can in such a difficult situation.

As a teacher, I would absolutely use this book as a novel study in my classroom.  Not only would it appeal to teenagers (before COVID-19, and certainly after!) but it is written at a reading level that would be suitable for any year in high school.  The multiple themes would allow for students to identify with different aspects of the novel, which is what you need when getting teenagers to read.  Finally, Lil's experience would serve as an outstanding springboard for any teacher to discuss essential concepts and knowledge such as consent, power, and personal responses to abuse. 

As much as I enjoyed this book, I would rate it 3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐ .
There wasn't anything wrong with this story, absolutely not.  I was not super riveted by the storyline even though I did enjoy reading it.  Unfortunately, I just did not get that feeling of "I can't put this book down!" 
I will, however, give it 4/5 hearts 💛💛💛💛.

Teacher/Educator Bonus!!!  
On the author's website (link below) there is a document available for educators that has 27 excellent questions or ideas to discuss.  If I were to teach a novel study with this book, I would absolutely use these 27 questions to help guide me in planning the unit as well as discussion questions or reflection writing questions in class.

Author's website:  https://yvonneventresca.com/index.html
Author's GoodReads site: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/317481.Yvonne_Ventresca

Beginnings

I have been an on-and-off blogger for the last 15 years or so. More "off" than "on." I have blogged to be part of a larger community, to share an experience in my life with others, to academically yet informally express thoughts and ideas, and to use as an outlet for something I want to learn more about. Writing and blogging has made me more accountable to something new I have wanted to try or learn more about.

My audience has varied depending on the purpose of the blog. I always had an audience in mind. For this blog, I do not have a particular audience in mind for now. For all I know, very few people will even read this - if anyone does at all. Therefore, for now, I am writing just for me.

Like many people, I have always loved reading. I love how reading fiction can sweep me up into a whole new world where I get to meet all these new people and envision their environment, learn more about the characters and what made them the way they are, and journey along their adventures with them. I love how reading non-fiction always teaches me something about life (as fiction does too, but there is a huge difference between reading fiction and non-fiction!), how it opens my eyes to actual lived experiences and shows me just how brave and courageous some people are, how some people have lived through something that is so incredibly different from my own life experiences.

One thing about blogging is that it is something that I have been thinking about re-starting for a long time. The first thought that would come to mind is how many people are already blogging and how they already have their accomplished audiences... so what do I have to offer when there are so many other folks that are far more experienced than me? What's the point in starting something when it's unlikely that I'll ever get a huge audience of followers like other bloggers or social media personalities?

Did I mention that I am a teacher? My job is to educate, to teach, to inspire, to build kids up, to find their strengths and weaknesses, to figure out a way to best reach them through explanation or play or experience, to determine where the blockages are in their learning so I can release them and watch the lightbulb turn on above their head. That's my job. That is what I am trained for. I'm good at it. I'd even say that I'm great at it. If a student ever told me that they did not want to try something new for the same reasons that I just listed above, I would tell them that is ridiculous. I would tell them that everyone needs to start somewhere. That accomplished bloggers and online personalities started with just one blog post, one video. I'd ask them if they are really looking for a huge audience (by the way, I'm not looking to be a hugely influential blogger here). I'd tell them, "who cares? Aren't you doing this for you?"

So.

With the coronavirus pandemic that has been going on for the last couple of months and has put me in quarantine for the last month, I have been wanting to read more. I have moved a lot in my life and throughout the many moves (that have included crossing provincial borders and a move that existed entirely of shipping my belongings in boxes through the postal system) I have left books behind. A few months ago, I repurchased many of the books that I have given away over the last decade and a half. I have been dying to reread them. I have accumulated stacks of other books - second-hand novels, books through my Raven Reads subscription, and digital stacks on my loaded Kobo and Kindle ereaders.

I want to read. I want to disappear into new worlds, learn new things, meet new people, experience new things, feel all the emotions, stretch my imagination... I want to get back in touch with and become reacquainted with characters that I met years ago and I want to explore their journey through new eyes again.

Maybe if I write about the books I am reading, maybe if I write a book review on each of these books as I (re)read them, then maybe I can at least feel as though I am sharing my experiences with someone else, even if there isn't anyone else reading this blog.