Picture
Suzanne’s Diary to Nicholas by James Patterson
ISBN: 978-0-7595-2521-4
Patterson, J. (2001). Suzanne's diary to nicholas. New York: Hachette Book Group

Plot Summary
Katie Wilkinson has found the man of her dreams.  He is kind, handsome, and can support a family.  When Katie feels their relationship is going somewhere, Matt suddenly leaves, with only a diary to show Katie he was once there.  Katie distraught, the man she loved left her, and she soon realizes she is pregnant.  The diary is called Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.  As Katie reads, she realizes that Suzanne was married to Matt.  She is immediately horrified, thinking Matt is married and was having an affair.   Katie continues to read about Suzanne, her pregnancy, and subsequent birth of her son Nicholas.  The novel switches back-and-forth between Katie’s day-to-day life to the diary.  Katie reads about Matt through another woman’s eyes, their joy with their son Nicholas, and excitement over Suzanne’s second pregnancy.  The feeling is bittersweet, as Katie wants all that Suzanne and Matt had for herself and her unborn child.  As Katie nears the end of Suzanne’s diary, she will reach a tragedy that has affected Matt, and their future happiness as a family. 

Critical Evaluation

One of Patterson’s first forays outside the thriller crime novels he is best known for, brings Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas. Typical Patterson elements include short chapters, surprising twists, and a fast-moving good story.  Told in both first- and third-person, the diary and narrative formats are surprisingly suited for one another.  Katie, the protagonist, reads the diary written by Suzanne in first person.  The diary entries read like a story unto themselves, which serves to juxtapose Matt’s two lives with two different women.  A love story at its heart, the novel teeters between sentimentality and overly saccharine.  Sensitive readers will need to keep some tissues nearby, while hardier readers may roll their eyes at the tragic circumstances.  Though the ending somewhat explains Matt’s leaving, one also gets the feeling of wanting to smack him.  There is sympathy, but also annoyance that he could not discuss his warring thoughts with a woman he was intimately involved with, and suddenly left instead.  In the end, love is portrayed as beautiful, yet imperfect, with pitfalls and heartbreaks along the way.

Reader’s Annotation
Katie found the perfect man, until he left, leaving only a diary about his wife and son behind.  Why did he leave, and why is the diary so important?

About the Author
James Patterson is one of the most successful adult authors.  Patterson’s books have sold 260 million copies worldwide, has had five new hardcover novels debut at #1 every year since 2005, has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the Guinness World Record for most Hardcover Fiction titles by a single author with 76 books.  Some of Patterson’s novels have been turned into Hollywood movies, including the Alex Cross novels with the title character portrayed by Morgan Freeman.  Patterson’s first young adult series, Maximum Ride is currently being filmed.

James Patterson was born in New York in 1947.  He attended Manhattan College and Vanderbilt University earning both a bachelor and master degree in English.  Patterson first worked in advertising, but retired in 1996 and turned to writing fulltime.  Patterson is a prolific writer, and signed a deal in 2009 to write 11 adult books and 6 young adult books by the end of 2012.  He has founded four programs that encourage reading and literacy, including the James Patterson PageTurner Awards that donated $100,000 to companies and people with creative ways to spread books and reading.  Patterson currently lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife and son.

Genre
Romance/Chick List

Curriculum Ties
Writing diary entries

Booktalking
Matt had a reason for leaving, but was it a good enough reason?

Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 5th grade
IL: 9th grade and up

Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues may include sexual relationships between adults before marriage.

In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.

Why Included
James Patterson is such a well-known author of both adult and young adult novels; I felt it important to include one of each.  Additionally, Patterson is most known for his crime novels about Alex Cross and the Lady Detectives, so I decided on one of his other works. 

Others in the Series
N/A

References
Hachette Book Group. (2013). About james: Biography.  Retrieved from http://www.jamespatterson.com/about_biography.php#.UVHwCxlAus0
James Patterson. (2013, April 14).  Retrieved March 20, 2013 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson





Leave a Reply.