Erin Roberts Period 4

Question 1: How do thriller/suspense authors hook and hold readers? Thriller/Suspense authors use plot twists, and appeals to the readers' emotions. The authors write about lots of events that happen in a short period of time. Also, the reader emotionally identifies with the main character.( Adult Reading Round Table Boot Camp Suspense) In the novel Pretty Little Liars, the author Sara Shepard uses several plot twists to keep you reading. One of five friends disappears mysteriously, and no one knows what happened to her (Shepard, Pretty Little Liars).

Question 3: What is the relationship between thriller/suspense and truth? The character is the Pretty Little Liars are going through real-life issues, which makes the books some what realistic. The author Sara Shepard says that the characters in the novel are loosely based on her teenage years (Hope's Bookshelf: Sara Shepard Interview!). ‘Jennifer Campbell: “Sara, is there one of the 5 leads that most approximates you as a teen navigating the oft high dram high school waters?” Sara Shepard: “They all have qualities that I had in high school. The one who’s probably most like me is Aria. She’s the artsy girl who’s over living in the suburbs and wants the broader experiences of Europe and travelling. She’s over all her peers. That was kind of the way that I was during the later years of high school. The other girls are kind of the way I was during the earlier years of high school. So they’re sort of me through various stages."' (Campbell)

Question 6: Can the Pretty Little Liars series appeal to readers of all ages? If so, why? ‘“The Wall Street Journal: Why do you think the show has become so popular? Troian Bellisario: “Everybody loves a good mystery but it also doesn’t shy away from the issues that everyone is going through at the age the girls are. Some people are struggling with their sexuality, people’s parents divorce, they have issues at school — the show is sympathetic to the characters and what they’re going through.”’ (Kurutz) “'Pretty Little Liars' touches on some controversial issues, like Aria's affair with her teacher and Emily's relationship with Maya. Were you surprised the show actually faced these issues head on?” Ashley Benson: ‘“I was a little bit, but it's real. There are people who go through that every day. So I think its good we're touching on realistic things, and I think it's good for the audience to know that's okay. It's one of my favorite parts that we do that, because it lets other people know that they're not alone."' (Bentley)

Question 7: What issues are the characters going through? Aria Montgomery is seeing her English teacher. She also saw her father having an affair, and doesn’t know whether to tell her mother what she saw or not (Aria Montgomery | Pretty Little Liars - The Official Site) Hanna Marin used to be fat and suffered from bulimia. She was caught stealing a bracelet. Her parents also divorced (Shepard, Pretty Little Liars). Spencer Hastings tries to compete with her sister Melissa. She becomes overwhelmed with school work and steals her sister’s old high school paper and uses it as her own. She also kissed her sister’s boyfriend behind her back (Shepard, Pretty Little Liars Series). Emily Fields struggles with her sexuality. She won’t admit to herself that she may actually be gay. She knows that her parents won’t approve because they are very strict. (Shepard, Pretty Little Liars series)

Question 8: What issues are teens going through? Some teens are dealing with the divorce of their parents, and it is a turning point in their lives (Dealing With Divorce) “Teenage bulimia is found to be one of the more common of the teenage eating disorders and causes a significant amount of damage to the body. It can lead to death. This eating disorder also causes emotional and psychological damage to, not only the victim, but to family and friends.”(Teenage Bulimia) Some teens struggle with their sexuality. Alcohol and drugs are also another issue of teenagers.

Question 9: How do the characters cope with their issues? All four characters of the Pretty Little Liars cope with their issues by talking to each other about them. The help each other get through their problems (Shepard, Pretty Little Liars series). For example, Emily talks to Hanna, Spencer, and Aria about her possibly being gay. The help her get through it and come out to her parents (Shepard, Perfect).

Works Cited "Adult Reading Round Table Boot Camp Suspense." Adult Reading Round Table Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar Bentley, Jean. "Ashley Benson on 'Pretty Little Liars': 'Everybody Who's Anyone Watches It'." TV Squad. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar Campbell, Jennifer. "Q&A with Pretty Little Liars’ author Sara Shepard." Montreal Gazette - Breaking News, Quebec, Opinion, Multimedia & More. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar "Dealing With Divorce." KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar "Hope's Bookshelf: Sara Shepard Interview!." Hope's Bookshelf. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar Kurutz, Steven. "'Pretty Little Liars': Troian Bellisario on the Summer Finale - Speakeasy - WSJ." WSJ Blogs - WSJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb

Works Cited Cont. Shepard, Sara. Pretty little liars Series. New York: Harpertempest, Print. Shepard, Sara. Pretty little liars. New York: Harpertempest, Print. Shepard, Sara. Flawless: a pretty little liars novel. New York: HarperTeen, Print. Shepard, Sara. Perfect. New York: HarperTeen, Print. Shepard, Sara. Unbelievable. New York: HarperTeen, Print. "Teenage Bulimia." Eating Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar "The Author | Pretty Little Liars - The Official Site." Pretty Little Liars - The Official Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb Yahr, Emily. "Truth is, "Pretty Little Liars" is surprisingly good - The Denver Post." Colorado Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic - The Denver Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar MLA formatting by BibMe.org.