Hannah is struggling with life. At fifteen she has had to live with extreme bullying for a protracted time at school and then her older sister died in a car crash. Hannah's father was seriously injured and her mother rarely leaves her room since her elder daughter died. After Katie's death the bullying stopped but Hannah constantly feels isolated and insecure.
Her father cannot remember what happened when the car collided with a truck and one year on the police are still trying to put together what happened. An investigation is to be held and Hannah's testimony will be crucial to the case. A school councillor works with Hannah to help her come to grips with the changes and challenges in her life. Hannah also has to cope with the growing tension between her parents at home.
When she meets Josh, a new student at her school, Hannah is reluctant to accept his attempts at friendship however, over time, she realises that she needs to learn to trust people.
The Protected by Claire Zorn has many themes. A major one is the complicated relationship that existed between the two very different sisters, Katie and Hannah. It is also a story about grief and how family members cope, or don't cope, in extremely difficult situations. Hannah's grandparents and the next door neighbour, Mrs Van, try to help the family, especially as the anniversary of the accident approaches but people react to grief in different ways. Another theme is the effect of school yard bullying, not just on the main victim but the pressure on former friends to join the dominant group.
The story is revealed in different time frames. As well as life in the present we learn of life before the accident. At times in present situations Hannah is aware of her sister's voice commenting in the background. It is only towards the end of the book that we learn what happened on the day of the accident and the grief and guilt that followed. It takes time for the family to realise that life goes on and they need to gradually move on though they will never forget what happened on that fateful day.
The Protected is a novel being studied this year in year 10 at the school my grand-daughter attends. The novel contains many opportunities for discussion.
The Protected won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers in 2015. It also won the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction, 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction Prize and was shortlisted in the 2015 Inky Awards.
Online reviews:
BookReview by Lisa Fleetwood
Book review by The Hermit Librarian
TeachersNotes – University of Queensland Press
Liz McShane review
Good Reads reviews
