Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone, a new novel by Newbery Medal winner Tae Keller, exemplifies the angst of middle school with an unexpected twist. The protagonist, Mallory Moss, begins to get the hang of surviving middle school by fitting in and following the unwritten rules from her best friend Reagan. Then she has a new neighbor across the street. Jennifer Chan, not only doesn’t know these rules, she doesn’t seem to care – and she believes in aliens.
As one would expect, bullies show up in middle school with Jennifer as a prime target. Even as Mallory can pick some of the tormentors out for herself and knows what they are doing is wrong, she is drawn into going along to get along. After the Incident, which does not become clear until later in the book, Jennifer disappears and the whole community begins a search. Could she really have been taken by the aliens she believes in? Mallory knows there may be clues in Jennifer’s journals. To find answers, Mallory must also face her own guilt in why Jennifer is missing and decide who her true friends really are.
This is a compelling and engaging book that needs to be in the hands of every middle schooler who has experienced bullying or participated in bullying. (Often those are the same people.) I would also recommend it as an excellent classroom read-aloud followed by discussion.