Title: A List of Cages
Author: Robin Roe
Genre: Fiction
# of pages: 310
Reading Level: 690L, 14-17 years
Summary: A List of Cages is written from the perspectives of two vastly different high school students, Adam Blake, and Julian Harlow. Adam, a high school senior, is a happy-go-lucky teenager who has never met a stranger. He is loved by his peers and teachers and has what some would see as a perfect life, despite finding new ways to handle his ADHD. In stark contrast, Julian, a high school freshman, is timid and socially outcasted by his peers. Between his boyish tendencies, social anxiety, and dyslexia, Julian is not described as a well-loved boy. He suffered the tragic loss of his parents as a young boy and for a while lived with Adam and his social worker mother. When his Uncle Russell gains guardianship over him he is taken from the Blake house and not seen again until Adam is assigned by the school psychologist to ensure Julian comes to his counseling sessions. Adam is quickly consumed by the brotherly love and protective tendencies he felt towards Julian all those years ago. As Adam uncovers Julian’s dark home life, he risks his life to save him. While Adam’s perspective offers the view most people see, Julian’s tells a much darker tale of distrust and trauma. A List of Cages is a ringing endorsement that, “Hate ricochets, but kindness does too” (Roe, 2018).
Genre: A List of Cages is classified as fiction. This story, although based on the real-life experiences of the author, is written about two fictional boys. Although the events in the book could happen, they are modeled after two fictional lives. I sorted A List of Cages into the diverse characters category because the main character, Adam, has been diagnosed with ADHD. However, this book does not put a negative connotation on Adam, it shows his kindness and love for life because of his ADHD.
Reading the Novel: It is hard to gauge the most impactful way to read A List of Cages. As a reader who has not experienced the trauma of abuse, the message, “Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind” rings through the entirety of the novel. Julian became a student that everyone disregarded and tortured for their selfish reasons. The importance of this message could be translated through the class as a group reading experience, but because of the somewhat triggering nature, I would worry that I would subject a student to reading something that may be harmful for them to live through. I would suggest A List of Cages as an engaging novel that encourages kindness in cruel situations but would be careful to discuss any trigger warnings.
Teaching the Novel: A List of Cages has a Lexile level of 690 which is assigned to a 3rd-grade reading level. Similar to The Hate U Give, the book is an easier read even if the content is heavy. This would be a good read for students who do not identify as strong readers but still want to read a young adult novel.
Cross-Curriculum: There are not many avenues A List of Cages fits into in regard to content areas other than English. There are multiple, easier to grasp, themes throughout the book such as sacrifice, family, trust, and the importance of kindness. Identifying these themes and the differences between Adam's and Julian’s perspectives would fit into multiple standards like identifying points of view and identifying themes.
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