Alone by Megan E. Freeman
| At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Best for Ages | 14-16 years old |
| Length | 416 pages |
| Genre | Survival, Novel in Verse |
| Biblical Worldview | ⭐ |
| Story Engagement | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Read-Aloud Quality | ⭐ |
| Overall Content Quality | 🛑 Skip as a Family Read-Aloud / 🗣️ Consider for Discussion with older teens |
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What is Alone About?
In this middle-grade novel-in-verse, twelve-year-old Maddie’s plan to have a secret sleepover goes terribly awry when she wakes up and finds that her entire town has been abandoned, and she is left alone.
With no way to contact her parents or friends, will she be able to survive on her own? And for how long?
Positive Themes in Alone
Confession & Repentance: Maddie realizes pretty quickly what she did wrong and shows regret for it. This is a good place to open a discussion about what confession and true repentance look like, whether Maddie exhibits those characteristics, and how to live out the truth in scripture. Check out verses like Psalm 32:5 and 2 Corinthians 7:10.
Despite the choices that led to the situation she’s in, Maddie is brave, resilient, kind, and a problem-solver. She loves her family.
If your kids are interested in Alone, they might also enjoy:
- Forbidden Child by Gwen Newell
Discipleship Opportunities
God’s Sovereignty: In relation to the point above, a great conversation can be had about trusting God in the midst of dire circumstances and God’s glory being revealed through those circumstances. Specifically, the story of the blind man in John 9 as well as Joseph’s story starting in Genesis 37 and pair it with Lamentations 3:22 – 23
Authority: Discussion of honoring your parents as well as not stealing or coveting. A basic run-down of the Ten Commandments would be great. Exodus 20
Sin & Consequences: You’ll definitely want to address the consequences of Maddie’s choice to lie to her parents, and the consequences that eventually led her to be upset with God for not being rescued. Proverbs 19:3
Parent Guide for Alone
- 🟡Romance/Sexuality: Not particularly about romance or sexuality, but the main character gets her period for the first time. After some time, the character wonders whether she’d be kissing someone for the first time. Character mentions she is “officially in love with Mary Oliver,” a poet she has read. There is no indication of it being romantic; however, given today’s climate, it is worth noting
- ⚠️Language: “to h– with,” character mentions her dad telling a school official in no uncertain terms to do something to himself and go to h–, a–, d–n, d–ned, oh my G-d, other multiple instances of the word h–.
- 🛑Violence/Intense Scenes: A kitten is killed – the scene is disturbing; a character gets seriously injured in the midst of a tornado,
- ⚠️Religion/Spirituality: Character’s mom does yoga and wears a shirt with a lotus flower and Om symbol; mentions Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad answering everyone’s prayers. Character considers how she’s “never given much thought to whether God exists let alone whether God pays any attention to my life. Character writes a letter asking God “why the h– haven’t you rescued me yet?” and “get me the h– out of here” and “where the h–are you?”. At one point, character shows gratitude to God. Mention of Mother Nature. At one point, character says she “feels like God.”
- 🟡Attitude/Rebellion: Maddie begins the book by scheming to sleep over at an empty house with her two best friends. Character breaks into homes and businesses multiple times throughout the book, but it’s to get supplies for food and shelter
- 🟢Racism/Discrimination: none
- 🟢 Substance Usage: none
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Final Thoughts on Alone by Megan E. Freeman
🛑 Skip as a Family Read-Aloud / 🗣️ Consider for Discussion with older teens
I personally loved the story as an adult. It was gripping and well-told. The fact that it was written in verse also made it intriguing and quick to get through. Though customers on Amazon suggest it for ages 10 and older, given some of the content warnings above, it’s definitely not a family read-aloud. In fact, I wouldn’t even recommend handing it to a middle-grade student as an independent read. It would be best as a book discussion with ages 14 and older.
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