Cover:
Bibliographic Information:
Title: Pretty Little Liars, Season 1
Creator: I. Marlene King
ASIN: B003R4ZMJU
Studio: Warner Home Video
Copyright: 2011
Reader’s Annotation:
This is what happens when you keep too many secrets.
Summary:
The first season follows teen girls
Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna in the aftermath of a tragedy where the leader
of their little group, Alison, goes missing.
The friends begin receiving messages from a mysterious person named only
“A”. Often these messages contain hints
of the secrets the girls are harboring, and threats to make those secrets
public. Alison’s body is discovered, and
the town now begins to become entangled in a murder investigation, where nearly
everyone is a suspect. Each girl deals
with personal dilemmas, with “A” pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Critical Evaluation:
This first season of the series
introduces a wide variety of characters, including the late Alison, who shows
up in frequent flashbacks. The main
storyline is obviously the mystery of who killed Alison, as well as who is the
mysterious “A”, but each character has multiple substories. At times, these substories become
increasingly unbelievable and melodramatic.
The substory that I find particularly problematic is Aria secretly
dating her English teacher. Most of the
stories, however, deal with fairly typical teen situations, such as questions
of sexuality, parental divorce, and pressures to perform well in school. I do, however, have some mild concerns that none of the teens
seem to suffer many consequences for their bad behavior.
The production values on the series
are quite good; it looks amazing. The
actors and actresses portraying teens do so very convincingly. Because the series is set in a fictional
suburb of Philadelphia in a very wealthy area, they styling of the show is
fairly lush, with the girls wearing expensive designer clothes, and having
fairly comfortable lives. While this may
seem unrealistic or inaccessible to many teens, this fantasy of wealth is part
of why the show appeals to teens.
Author Biography:
Not applicable
Genre(s):
Series, Drama
Series, Drama
Curriculum Ties:
Not applicable
Booktalk Ideas:
A discussion on why some secrets should not be kept, and what to
do when entrusted with such a secret.
A discussion about what makes for a healthy friendship, versus a
toxic friendship.
Reading Level:
Not applicable
Interest Age:
13 and up
Challenge Issues: Could be challenged based on adult
language, teen sexual situations, teen substance use, mild language, scenes
where teens break the law, and characters lacking respect for authority.
If this series were challenged I would:
· Listen
to the concerns of the person raising the challenge
· Consult
the library’s collection development policy
· Explain
how this work meets a library need based on the collection development policy
· Consult
YALSA’s Dealing with
Challenges to Young Adult Materials
· Consult
reviews on VOYA, Amazon, Common Sense Media, and Kirkus
· Discuss
any awards or notable commendations the book received
· Explain
the library’s commitment to intellectual freedom as discussed in the ALA Library Bill of
Rights
· Give
the patron the procedure for a formal challenge should they seek to pursue it
Why was this series selected:
I chose to include this series in my collection, because it
remains incredibly popular among teens.
This evaluation just covers the first season of the series, with the 7th
season airing on television currently.
The show is based on a book series by the same name, thought there are
substantial differences between the books and the show. This means that fans of the book series can
still enjoy the show without knowing all the plot points. I strongly believe that some items in a teen
collection should be purely for enjoyment, and this series is certainly enjoyed
by many teens.
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