Black Box

Black Box
By: Julie Schumacher

176p
Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN-10: 0385735421
ISBN-13: 978-0385735421


Annotation:
When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.

Summary:
A realistic look at the effects of depression and the problems that can surround it.

Fourteen year-old Elena is responsible and reliable while her older sister Dora is the exact opposite. As Elena tries to deal with not only her sister’s illness but also the constant questioning from friends at school, and the fighting at home it becomes difficult for her to maintain her composure. As her parents refuse to acknowledge Dora’s condition, Elena feels more and more isolated and alone. Intent on not showing emotions, Elena finds solace in the friendship of her classmate Jimmy; a social outcast who has experiences with the practices at the local mental institution.

Throughout the novel Elena, deals with the constant emotional uncertainty of her sister while she is both in and out of the institution and her strange behavior once she returns. Elena become suspicious of her sister and begins to research her medicine, which is where we come to learn the meaning of the title (Blackbox is a warning label stating that these people should be under constant supervision) as well as her strange behavior at school.


This novel is no Disney story, it deals with difficult situations in a manner that is accessible to teens, the novel also includes websites and information about depression and suicide prevention, which may be helpful for people looking for more information.