Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson by Marissa Posada

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Justification: I chose this title because it is a Coretta Scott King Award for New Talent winner. I was also intrigued about he summary of the book. It seems impossible that someone could go missing and no one notice. Although, it happens here in the United States daily. I really wanted to know what happened to Monday.

Evaluation: This book has examples of precise vocabulary. The story takes place on the Southeast side of Washington D.C., with a predominately African-American cast of characters. This leads to the use of precise vocabulary. The characters use language such as: "bougie," lunching," and "super tight." A lot of this vocabulary helps to place the characters and the situations they are facing. The vocabulary allows for the reader to be more immersed in the story. Rather, than just being a spectator to events.

This book has examples of dialogue. The reader is really able to see the characters through their dialogue. The first thing Claudia asks when she returns home is "Have you seen Monday?" The whole book is about how Claudia worries about what happened to her best friend, exemplified by the first thing she asks. Because Monday is missing we are able to learn what kind of person she is through Claudia's memories. We learn that she loved school, was starting to obsess about boys, and cared deeply about her friend. We also get to learn about Claudia's parents through the things they say to each other.

There are examples of understatement in this book. Since Monday went missing a lot of people ask about 'red flags.' Claudia makes an observation of Monday when they get in a fight at school. Monday seems to be terrified of her mother, but Claudia assumes everyone is a little scared of their mother. But still questions the severity that Monday exhibits. Another example is when Claudia helps her mother decorate the Christmas tree. There are angel ornaments that Claudia hates, but are to represent the angels her mother lost. These are to represent the babies her mother miscarried.

Response: I relate to this story in the closeness Claudia feels for Monday. There are many times that both girls claim to be not just sisters, but twins in how close they were. This strengthened my views in how inadequate child protective services are. It seems like not too long ago there was a similar problem here in Texas. Reports had been made about children in danger, but nothing was done and those kids died. I enjoyed the story in that it was heart-wrenching and I feel that entertainment would be a bad word o use. It is kind of a reality check on what is going on in this country.

Conclusion: This book has examples of precise vocabulary, dialogue, and understatement. As I have mentioned before this book is a reality check of some of the struggles the youth have to deal with. I would give this five stars. I would recommend this to everyone.

APA Citation: Jackson, T. D. (2018). Monday's not coming: A novel. New York: Katherine Tegan Books.