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P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci

Summary

Jane Beckles grew up in Metro City and loves everything about it, but after she is injured in a disaster, she is forced to move to the suburbs with her family. Still reeling from her stay in the hospital she finds herself in a strange new world. At school, the in-crowd is attracted to Jane’s cool and confident manner but she feels the need to branch out and find others in her “tribe.” She befriends three unlikely candidates, all coincidently, named Jane. As Jane earns their trust, she confides that she wants to start an art group as a means of self expression and to shake things up a bit in the quiet town. The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (People Loving Art in the Neighborhoods) is born. The group creates “art attacks” throughout the suburbs: bubbles in the public fountain, hats on fire hydrants and gnomes on the police precinct’s lawn. Through art Jane is able to make sense of the disaster and her new life, as well as create some solid friendships along the way. When things turn ugly with the police, who view the art attacks as vandalism, Jane find out what she and her cohort are made of, and who she can depend on.

Booktalk

Jane is ripped from her home in Metro City by her parents, after she is involved in an explosion in the city, and transplanted far, far away. So there she is: smart, cool, confident, with the power to persuade. Stuck in suburbia. What’s one to do? Sulk and demand to return to the city? Useless. She’s never seen her laid-back, hair-dresser parents so freaked out. Join the cool crowd? No. Been there, done that. Force yourself on a group of socially awkward girls, coincidently, all named Jane? Well, actually, yes. Convince the group that they want to join you in bringing beauty to the neighborhood? Well, just maybe. Enter, the P.L.A.I.N. Janes. Or for those not in the know: People Loving Art in Neighborhoods. Secretly, that is. Bubbles in the public fountain? Gnomes on the police precincts yard? A spectacular New Year’s Eve extravaganza involving paint and confetti? What’s not to like? Well, the police can think of a couple of things and they are determined to figure out who’s behind the mysterious “art attacks” and bring down the culprits. Will the P.L.A.I.N. Janes be able to keep their cover? Will Jane learn to deal with her new home? Will she evade arrest? Is Damon (a P.L.A.I.N. Janes add-on) dating material? What ever the results, one thing is sure: If Jane and her friends go down, at least they will do it with style.

176 pages, 7th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. When Jane is at the clock tower on New Year’s Eve and she thinks everyone has stood her up, she ponders two issues… “You think you know people. You think you can count on them. But we’re really all alone in the world, aren’t we?” Do you agree or disagree? Why? If you agree, can you think of a time you felt that way? "Tell me Miroslaw. If I do something beautiful and no one else sees it, is it still worth doing?” What is your opinion?
  2. Do you think Jane’s parents overreacted to the incident by moving out of the city? Why or why not? Have your parents ever made a decision for you that you disagreed with? How did it make you feel?
  3. If you could choose just one of the art attacks done by the P.L.A.I.N. Janes to replicate, which would it be and why? If you were able to plan and implement an art attack of your own, what would it look like?
  4. Why are the police so upset by the art attacks? Do you feel like it could be considered vandalism? Why or why not?
  5. How do you think Jane’s life would be different if she had chosen to accept the friendship of the popular crowd?
  6. What do you think will happen between Damon and Jane?
  7. There is a sequel to this book called Janes in Love. How do you think the story continues?

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