Furious Thing

Gr 7 Up–Lexi is a Furious Thing. A monster. A teenage girl who doesn’t know how to control her anger and constantly upsets everyone around her. Like a fire that spreads, her anger causes bad things to happen and cannot be contained. Her soon-to-be stepfather tries to control her outbursts, making contracts and trying to get doctors to diagnose her, but Lexi knows that she doesn’t need that—she just needs something to change. No matter how good she tries to be, her anger always finds a way back to the surface and threatens to destroy everything she is trying to protect—especially her relationship with her mother and sister. Adolescent readers will relate to feeling misunderstood by the adults in their lives. Lexi’s rage goes deeper than just teenage angst and there are themes of abuse and trauma that are also present in the story. Readers will sympathize with Lexi and feel her outrage as she navigates the truth behind her feelings.