ABSTRACT
Are You Still There by Sarah Lynn Scheerger (2015) addresses how one high school and one particular student deal with the aftermath of a bombing attempt at the school. Gabi Mallory is caught in the girl’s bathroom when the lockdown announcement comes over the school’s intercom. She waits, thinking and hoping this is a routine drill. Once she is found and reunited with her sister, Chloe, Gabi realizes it was not a drill but instead a serious threat to Central High. She learns from her detective father that the police found the bomb but not a suspect. The school responds to the bomb threat by starting a helpline manned by a small group of students (including Gabi) where students can call or text for support. Through Gabi’s involvement in the helpline and the investigation to find the bomber, Gabi’s stereotypes of her classmates begin to shift. Parallel to Gabi’s story is the story of the Stranger—the identity taken by the bomber. The Stranger’s story is told through poems (or Manifestos, as the Stranger describes) interwoven between the chapters narrated by Gabi and give insight into the unknown, unnamed bomber. The poems prompt the reader (and Gabi) to question the identity of the bomber and the reasons behind the bomb attempt.
