Teen Review: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Hey! I’m Goda, a high school junior who loves photography and, of course, reading. I also enjoy acoustic music, and I hope my insights help you find your next favorite book!

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

After skimming the back cover of this novel, I expected a good story with a predictable ending, but I ended up with an amazing page-turner that kept me up waaaay past my bedtime.

Kaelyn is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in a small town on a small island. The Way We Fall is written as a journal of letters from Kaelyn to her best friend, Leo, who has left the island in order to go to school. Kaelyn and Leo haven’t talked for a while, and these letters are Kaelyn’s promise to reignite their friendship when he gets home.

After a few chapters of Kaelyn reminiscing through when-we-were-best-friends memories, the novel gets quite interesting. A strange virus is sweeping through the town, infecting everyone. Although it starts out small, it breaks out into an epidemic that crumbles the structure of the entire society. The government quarantines the island, and supplies are limited. Kaelyn befriends a former enemy, Gav, and together they struggle to survive. Gangs are hoarding the little supplies that are left, and the local hospital is filled way passed capacity.

Eventually, as expected, the virus infects someone close to Kaelyn (I won’t give away who), and the story becomes a real nail-biter. Throughout all of these event, Kaelyn continues to write to Leo, and this personal format makes her story seem that much more intimate.

The progression of the virus, and of Kaelyn’s panic, is easy to understand through Kaelyn’s journal entries. Like I said, I couldn’t put this book down until I had finished it. Kaelyn’s struggle is so broad: she has to worry about her little sister, herself, and her father, who is a doctor at the local hospital. This, along with the love connection she has with Gav, proves Kaelyn to be a very interesting character who doesn’t get dull. I loved this book, and was ecstatic when I realized it was the first in a trilogy. Can’t wait for the next one. Must read.

Teen Sells Kidney for iPad—Would You?

You want an iPad.  What would you do to get one?  Many teens would get a part-time job: walking dogs, babysitting, working in a restaurant.  Reasonable, socially acceptable options.  Conversely, a 17-year-old in China recently sold his kidney to purchase an iPhone and iPad.  In exchange for his kidney, he received about $3,500—enough to purchase these gadgets.  The teen now suffers from renal insufficiency.  In addition to raising questions about the black market for organs, this exchange has sparked discussions about the ever growing culture of consumerism—both in the United States and in other countries—and the extreme lengths to which we will go to get what we think we want.  These titles explore our obsession with possessions:

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