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When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he's got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn't easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can't complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian-the foster brother he hasn't seen in five years. Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He's still kind hearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what's really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives. First-time novelist Robin Roe relied on life experience when writing this exquisite, gripping story featuring two lionhearted characters.… (more)
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Adam is the kind of kid that seems to have everything going for him. He has a great relationship with his mother and a very good home life. He has a tight group of friends that he cares about. He is a senior in high school and he is doing great in school. Adam seems to know just the right thing to say and sometimes can even make things better by offering up a quick smile at just the right time. Adam does have to deal with his ADHD but he has things generally under control.
Julian has had to deal with a lot in his life. His parents both died in a car crash when he was very young. He actually spent some time in the foster system and lived with Adam and his mother for a period of time. Julian moved in with his uncle years ago and as far as everyone knows everything is fine at home. But everything is not fine at home. Not by a lot. To make matters worse, Julian has no friends and is often teased and bullied at school. When Adam sees Julian at school and they reconnect, Julian is eager to be around someone that actually wants him around.
This wasn't really an easy story to read. My heart broke so many times while I read this book. I felt like I was there with Julian every time somebody said something mean to him and I was there with him at his house with his uncle. I also felt Adam's uncertainty regarding what was the right thing to do. Adam's determination to be there for his friend no matter what was equally powerful. The truly sad part of this book is that these kind of stories aren't too different than what really happens to some teens.
This book was wonderfully written. I honestly put the book down once to sleep and then picked it back up again and couldn't put it down until I was done. I loved the characters. Adam and Julian were wonderful but there was a whole cast of people in this book that each added something worthwhile to the story. Some scenes were intense and the way that they were written made them seem so incredibly real and vivid.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I think that this is a book that needs to find its way into everyone's hands. I cannot remember the last time that I was as emotionally involved in a book as I was with this one. It was really that good.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Disney Book Group via NetGalley.
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he's got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn't
Trigger warning: This book contains multiple instances of emotional and physical abuse.
We’re not even two weeks in, and I can already tell you this is going to be a year of emotionally charged reading. A List of Cages is horrible and wonderful, ugly and beautiful, soul-crushing and uplifting. It is all of them at the same time. It almost broke my brain because I was feeling too many emotions, and it almost broke my heart because it was so nightmarishly real. Thank goodness there are people like Adam and his mom in the world, because I can tell you there are definitely “Julians” out there who need them. I love and hate this book. I would recommend A List of Cages to readers 14 and older who can handle such an emotionally mature subject.
The story line moves seamlessly between Julian's and Adam's
This was a solid 4/5 stars for me. The climax was a little contrived, but overall, it was wonderfully written with carefully thought out characters.
Adam Blake is a senior with an
This was a solid 4/5 stars for me. The climax was a little contrived, but overall, it was wonderfully written with carefully thought out characters. This is Roe's debut novel and her future is as bright as ten thousand stars.
Even though there was a four year age difference, Julian felt much younger simply because of his circumstances. He was such a beautiful character and all I wanted to do was take him home and shield him from the world. His story tore my heart to pieces. I was appalled at everything he had to endure.
Then there was Adam; dear, dear boy! I loved him, too. His protective, big-brother attitude towards Julian was truly touching. He was so kind, caring and just plain nice, and the fact he had ADHD added another interesting element to the book. Adam's mother and his friendship group were all very relatable and supportive characters, and well-fleshed out.
There was only one despicable character in this book - Russell. I hated him with a passion and often had murderous thoughts towards him. His cruelty was horrendous.
"A List of Cages" was emotionally draining and is certainly the best book I've read so far in 2017. I can't believe this was a debut novel, there was so much soul in it. Thank you Ms Roe, this is one novel that has truly moved me and will remain with me for a very long time. Highly recommended.
Sometimes, you find a book on a whim. You see it at the bookstore, read the synopsis and put it back, whispering "next time." It took me 5 months before I bought this book, but I am so glad I did. I had heard nothing about it, but the girl at the bookstore got excited when she saw
Okay, first off, this book deals with some SERIOUS topics, but it does it in a very genuine way. Everything feels real-- the pain, the confusion, but also the happiness and hope. This isn't a "they all get better the end" type of story, but rather a story where the effects of pain are addressed, with a hopeful outlook in the end. There's so much life in this book too, so that even when the story ends, you know there's so much more left in the lives of Adam and Julian. And while I would love to see a slice of that, I'm glad we don't. Let my boys heal together, and love together, and be the family they always should have been.
I don't want to say much in fear of saying too much, but this book is phenomenal, and the ending had me screaming and falling onto the floor. It's incredible story, dealing with serious topics in a gentle, but realistic, voice. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA and sad (but ultimately uplifting!) books.
As the school counselor helps Julian to work
When the truth of Julian's living situation is revealed, both of their lives are put on the line. This raw, heartbreaking story is one that beautifully speaks to the true meaning of friendship, brotherhood & family; You will need time to let this amazing debut sink in, and will linger long after the story is over.
As the school counselor helps Julian to work
When the truth of Julian's living situation is revealed, both of their lives are put on the line. This raw, heartbreaking story is one that beautifully speaks to the true meaning of friendship, brotherhood & family; You will need time to let this amazing debut sink in, and will linger long after the story is over.
Adam is a senior, with ADHD, who is well liked, always happy, considered clumsy.
Julian is a freshman, who is small, nervous, abused by his uncle, lived with Adam as a foster kid when he was younger.
p 188 contains a quote from Julian that I loved.
People I
Questions I was left with after reading or things that made me uneasy:
Why was the uncle killed rather than in jail?
Doesn't anyone remember that the recordings of the abuse are still around?
What about Julian's inheritance money, house?
Why the police were so weird with Adam--did they think he'd been the abuser?
I did like Charlie. His natural jealously at his best friend's new friend, and his resentment of that, and his knowledge (never acknowledged, but implied) that that was wrong, and finally, his reluctant warming to Julian, and the moment when he saw both Adam and Julian in danger, and saved their lives.
The ending was forced. It was exciting, but it didn't feel real. Russell was wanted for child abuse but "no one was really looking for him." People cared so little that he was able to wander back to the house where Julian was staying and nearly kidnap him. I have not to research into police tactics, but I think that if a child is found locked in a trunk, beaten and nearly dead, they would take finding the perpetrator a lot more seriously. Such a thing would have made the news. And they would have searched the house for evidence, not just cleared out Julian's stuff. I doubt if Julian and Adam could have just waltzed right back into that house, and even if they could have, I think the police would have already searched it and cleared out the sick thing that Adam found. Yes, it made for an exciting climax, having Russell show up, try to kidnap Julian and get shot, but that's not how real life works. In real life, Julian would have had to endure watching Russell go to trial. He would have had to testify against him, and deal with the psychological effects of the abuse he endured, and of having to testify against Russell. That isn't something ties an ending up with a neat bow, but it's real life. Okay, I can see why the author did it. We read books to escape, and that means we want a neat little happy ending tied in a bow. But this horrifying types of stories do not end with a bow, so it felt forced and unrealistic to have such an ending, and that took me out of the book.
I think that this would have been better as a new adult book, or even an adult book. The abuse was chronicled in too much detail for a book for teens, and if it had been an adult book that there would have been a sort of permission granted the author that isn't given in teen books, to not resolve everything. I think that that would have ended the book better. To have Julian healing, but not perfectly well and content, and nothing bad will ever happen to him again, and he doesn't have any psychological issues to deal with anymore. That ending so perfect took me out of the book, because it felt so unrealistic. And again, I thought that we were given too much detail of the abuse. If this had been an adult book, at least I would have expected it, but even if this had been an adult book, I don't think we needed such horrifying, stomach hurting detail.
Again, I loved Adam and Julian, and the bond they shared, I wanted to see more of their brotherly relationship. But there was a lot in the book that I didn't love. I think if there had been less detail of the abuse, and no stupid unnecessary teen romance, and no unrealistically perfect bow at the end of the story, I think that I would have loved this book, but there was too much.