When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester

Lester, Julius. When Dad Killed Mom.
Harcourt. 2001.
ISBN: 0152046984.
$6.96. Paperback. 196 pages.

Readers Annotation
Their mother is dead, and their father killed her. Jenna and Jeremy must each find a way to deal with the tragedy.

Plot
Jenna and Jeremy know that their parent’s marriage is ending, but they never expected that their father would murder their mother. As the story unfolds, Jenna and Jeremy each tell the story from their own perspective. After the murder the children decide to separate. Jenna, her father’s favorite child, wants to support her father. At first she believes his innocence due to insanity. Jeremy, an artist like his mother, wants only to remain in her studio where he feels closest to her. The children do not understand their father’s motivation, and as each child searches separately for answers they come to understand the dynamic of their parents marriage. 14-year-old Jenna, living with her mother’s best friend, befriends with a boy whose father has committed suicide. Jeremy refuses to return to his classroom. Instead, he stays with his art teacher every day. Both Jenna and Jeremy attend their father’s trial. Jeremy, who has discovered his mother’s diary, knows he has uncovered the reason for her murder. Jenna also doesn’t believe the stories her father has told her. She knows that he has lied to her in the past. It is through Jeremy’s discovery of the diary that their father, Eric is forced to admit his guilt.

Critical Evaluation
Although the protagonists in this story are in the 6th and 8th grades, this book is written for an older audience. The story seems to be ripped from the headlines. The author, Julius Lester, is known for extensive research on his topic but I question whether the reactions by the children are true to life. The decision of the siblings to separate into different households seems contrived. Jenna’s decision to remain with her mother’s best friend, and adopt a new name seems more possible than Jeremy’s solution. Jeremy, who remains at his mother’s studio nearly alone, meets and is adopted by a family living in the same town. I’m not sure that any judge would determine that this was the best action for an 11-year-old child. Additionally, the melodrama played out in the courtroom by Jeremy would certainly not happen in real life. Although it plays out to a reasonably happy ending the story seems contrived. The story is heart-rending but not necessarily truthful.

Information about the author
Julius Lester was born on January 27, 1939 in St. Louis, Missouri. To date he has published 43 books. He has won numerous awards for his writing including a Newbery Honor, and multiple ALA Notable Book nominations. To find out more about Lester go to http://members.authorsguild.net/juliuslester/index.htm. You can follow his blog at http://acommonplacejbl.blogspot.com/, although he doesn’t post very often.

Genre
Contemporary fiction.

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Violence

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/When-Dad-Killed-Julius-Lester/dp/0152046984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258233502&sr=1-1
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1.  Discuss the murder of the mother, and the children’s reactions.
2.  Talk about the children’s decision to live apart.

Reading Level/Age
Young adult. Ages 15 and over.

Why you included this title
This title is included in Teen Genreflecting, 2nd Edition (2003), as an example of a book about issues of death.