Module 15: ttyl

Book Summary

Myracle’s book ttyl is a unique book that is written all in text messages. The text messages take place between three friends (Maddie, Angela, and Zoe) as they start the 10^th grade. The girls experience a range of typical teen woes: hatred of the popular crowd (particularly Jana), body image issues, drinking, new boyfriends, sex, homework, fights and fights between friends. But the girls also experience some uncommon—but still realistic—issues, like an inappropriate relationship with a teacher.

The girls’ friendship goes on a roller coaster. Angela starts dating a boy named Rob, and she needs her friends’ help when he ends up breaking up with her. Maddie really dislikes Jana, the popular girl, but she actually starts to befriend her. And Zoe starts going to a Christian group called Young Life with one of her teachers, Mr. H, with whom she starts a questionable relationship. Then the girls really get into it when Maddie goes to a frat party on Halloween with Jana, gets drunk, and makes regrettable decisions—Angela and Zoe talk about it when Maddie is not around, and when Maddie finds out, she is extremely upset, so much that she stops talking to them. Pictures end up circulating around the school of Maddie from Halloween night, and Zoe gets uncomfortably closer to Mr. H. Luckily, the friends come together and pull each other through.

APA Reference of Book

Myracle, L. (2004). Ttyl. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

Impressions

I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciate that Lauren Myracle wrote the story with her young adult audience in mind, trying to keep the voices of the characters authentic and presenting these voices in a format that is comfortable with teens. But I am weary of a book that is completely written in text message spelling and grammar. The entire book is written in this style. For example, Maddie writes, “so. . . what r u doing tonite? any big plans now that ur all made up and beautiful?” (Myracle, 2004, p. 109). It seems to reinforce bad writing habits that already plague youth today. I can understand that the book will seem authentic and familiar to teens, which will make it appealing, but I worry that books like these will only encourage youngsters to write in the abbreviated, text message lingo in formal writing as well, like in school assignments or job applications, which is only to their detriment.

But I am glad that Myracle isn’t shy about anything in this book, and she makes the story real by including many things teens actually talk about and care about, from love to underage drinking to religion. Some of the scenarios in her book seem scandalous, like the teacher who tries to initiate a romantic relationship with Zoe, but these contemporary issues will surely capture the attention of a teen audience—while likely making many parents uncomfortable. Not only will these issues catch the attention of the reader, but I think it will encourage the reader to think critically. Young readers will be encouraged to think about what they would do in these situations, they may be encouraged to think about actions and consequences, and they will hopefully learn something about themselves in addition to learning something about the characters.

I was surprised at how much character development occurred within the text message format. The way the girls interact and what they say about each other reveals a lot about their personalities, and it explains some of their jealousies and motivations for behaving. Plus, unique tools, like online personality quizzes (which teens often do take) are also included throughout the story to provide insight into the girls and their characteristics. It is also helpful that the different characters have different colored font for their text messages—this makes the conversations much easier to follow. Plus, the look of the fonts seem symbolic themselves, representing the personalities of each friend. For instance, Angela the social butterfly has a blue font that has soft edges, which reveals her spunky spirit and laid-back nature. Zoe’s font looks like a regular times new roman because she is usually hard-working and responsible. And Maddie’s font is dark black and bold, which seems to represent her pessimistic attitude and somewhat rough and tough demeanor.

I think this book will be held back, though, being relevant to teens for an extended period of time due to the popular culture references (like the singer Jewel), their clothing choices (like a knee-length denim skirt),  and the format of the book itself. These things will—and already do—make the book feel dated. I think text messaging online used to be much more popular, but many kids text on their cell phones now or use Facebook to instant message. If it doesn’t feel dated now, it will in the near future simply due to the fact that technology and communication changes so rapidly. The unique format may have worked to engage readers when the book first came out, but it will only take a couple of years for the format to turn teens away and make then roll their eyes. The book will quickly feel old and nostalgic rather than cool and contemporary, like parents who still live in the 80s and don’t realize they have gotten older, but their kids surely do.

Ultimately, I think the content of this book will make teens reflect and think about themselves and their peers more critically, but I think there are other young adult books out there that have relevant, thought-provoking content while using correct spelling and grammar. Although I don’t necessarily dislike this book, I can’t say that I like it either. I at least know that I am not going to heartily recommend this book anytime soon.

Professional Review

The following was stated in a review from Publishers Weekly (2004):

Myracle's (Kissing Kate ) approach is creative, even if her newest novel is somewhat formulaic: three best friends hash out their lives—from new relationships to conflicts with one another—through instant messages. As they start 10th grade, social Angela catches her new boyfriend on a date with another girl; tough Maddie is befriended, then humiliated, by a popular girl; and "good little Zoe" finds herself crushing on a teacher—who seems to be interested in her, too. Though the main characters and the plotting seem familiar, readers will appreciate Myracle's portrayal of the supportive friends: they listen to one another, plan a surprise party and a road trip, and when Maddie is low, Angela and Zoe make her a care package with a poem that Angela calls "mushy but not 2 mushy." Their messages at times contain too much plotting to seem like realistic chats, but the style makes for an engaging, quick read. Flourishes such as emoticons and Internet lingo add realism; the book's title translates to "talk to you later ," and Angela adds stage direction to her messages, writing "*stomps foot* " (when she believes Maddie is withholding information) or "*jumps up and down and squeals* " (when Zoe promises her a makeover). As might be expected, there is a falling-out among the friends. But while Maddie's reaction when she catches Angela and Zoe discussing her behind her back seems too extreme, readers will cheer their reunion, which happens just as Zoe's teacher makes his move. (para. 1)

Library Uses

I think this book can be well-utilized in a book display of banned books during Banned Books week. This book can also be utilized for a library’s Teen Advisory Board. Teens can read the book, and then a librarian can lead a discussion about censorship, mentioning that this book is frequently challenged. The librarian can ask the teens why they think this particular title is often challenged, the teens can talk about what they think about censorship, and the librarian can talk about intellectual freedom. I think this book would lend itself to a very interesting and engaging discussion about important themes that encourage teens to think for themselves and support an open exchange of ideas.

This book could also be used by a librarian or teacher for a language arts lesson or even just a discussion about how text message writing is different from formal writing expectations. This can be an opportunity to ask teens if they think the norms for text message writing negatively affects their generation’s ability to write formally and grammatically correct.

References

[Review of the book ttyl, by L. Myracle]. (2004, March 1). Publishers Weekly. 

           Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com