Thursday, October 27, 2016

Pretty Little Liars Season 1, created by I. Marlene King

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

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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