Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion

What do you think about the parents in the novel? Did Grace's parents abandon her? Or were they just busy? What do you think of Sam's parents?

Not sure if it was abandonment or more like that they considered her at an age to raise herself. Sadly Grace's parents are not that unusual from many parents who consider the parents needs first. In the "olden" days AKA my childhood parents were also busy (work, divorce, substance abuse), but the grandparents/aunts/uncles etc were also in the vicinity so you were raised by a tribe. Sam's parents? Were they any different than parents that can't handle a child that doesn't meet the parents' standards be it religious beliefs, sexual orientation, etc?

I don't think that Grace's parents abandoned her. I think they were too caught up in their own lives to care about what was going on in Graces life. I think that they felt like she was adult enough to take care of herself.

As for Sam's parents, I felt sad that they thought the only way to save their son was to kill him.

For me, I felt like it was completely for plot. I didn't feel like there was any groundwork laid for them being absentee, until suddenly Grace needed to sneak Sam into the house and do things w/o getting in trouble, and then there was a ton of info about her parents being gone, and some bitterness from Grace. I didn't see it coming, and it felt sort of forced for me. It was one of my least favorite things about the book, which I liked in general.

Misty wrote: "For me, I felt like it was completely for plot. I didn't feel like there was any groundwork laid for them being absentee, until suddenly Grace needed to sneak Sam into the house and do things w/o ..."

Completely agree with Misty. This "abandonment" felt like an afterthought and a poor plot device just for Grace to have an opportunity to be with Sam 24/7, even the new studio for Grace's mother appeared conveniently to get her out of the house.

Did anyone wonder why Grace's father didn't face charges after locking her in the car? Did you feel Grace was old enough at the time to get out of the car by herself?

Misty wrote: "For me, I felt like it was completely for plot. I didn't feel like there was any groundwork laid for them being absentee, until suddenly Grace needed to sneak Sam into the house and do things w/o ..."

I can see how someone would say that. But I think she did make an effort to show you how completely disinterested the parents were in Grace. Sam says it best that they were two teenagers having a baby and they never grew up. Grace's mom was an "artist" and thus that was the only focus for her attention. Her father, for me, was completely in love with and devoted to his wife (and completly incapable of caring for a child). It felt like the father showed a bit more interest in Grace and her life than the mother.

This is child abuse. It's gross negligence. Their daughter was attacked and MAULED by wolves and they do nothing afterwards?! We all gasp at the horror that Sam's parents committed, but Grace's parents were just as bad--worse because there is nothing concrete to legally accuse them.

But the comments made about Grace's parents were few and mostly subtle, so I too felt at times it was too convenient for Grace and Sam. Although, say Maggie had made it Sam and Isabel. It's no more "convenient" that Isabel parents are rich and often not at home. And yet, I don't think we'd judge them as harshly.

Angie wrote: "Did anyone wonder why Grace's father didn't face charges after locking her in the car? Did you feel Grace was old enough at the time to get out of the car by herself? "

My guess is that it's a small town and nothing had happened to Grace, so they let him off with a warning. They could all say, "well, it must not have been that hot because look, she's perfectly fine."

Also, that was like 10+ years ago. Maybe the laws about children in locked cars hadn't caught up yet.

I agree with Meghan and Crystal. I don't think Grace's parents meant to abandon her or be bad parents, but they were just too caught up in their own lives to focus on her. As a result, Grace learned to take care of herself. And in a cyclical fashion, because she could take care of herself, they worried even less about her.

I think Sam's parents were trying to kill him. They were afraid and didn't understand what was happening to him, and they thought killing him was the only way to save him and themselves.

Both sets of parents thought they had good intentions, but neither knew how to be good parents for their children.

I'm with Misty and Tatiana: Grace's parents' disinterest in her was far too convenient that it read a bit contrived.

I think her parents loved her, and I think Suzie put it really well in talking about the cyclical nature of their family unit/relationship, but still, I felt sorry for Grace because no matter what your age is or how responsible etc. you are, it's nice to know your parents are there for you and support you and I didn't get a sense of that here.

Sam's parents - their fear might be understandable but what they tried to do is just plain horrific.

The thing with good intentions, and meaning well: it's not long before that becomes a poor excuse for imposing your own wishes onto others and doing harm.

Well, at least we can all agree none of them are up for the parent of the year award! heh

It is interesting that in the whole story, there isn't one good adult. Even Beck could be accused of poor "parenting" as he sent his pack to attack Sam in the first place, and then never talked with Sam about it until it was too late.

Oh yes, Beck - you're right, he betrayed Sam's trust too. It's interesting that these teenagers are so on their own. In a way, it symbolises what it feels like to be a teenager, that adults are in their own world and wouldn't understand, sympathise etc. In that context, it's a theme that works well in Shiver.

I too felt that Grace's parents disinterest in her was contrived. Grace was 11 years old. Even if there was a child lock on the door and the dad had forgotten about her, surely to goodness she was intelligent enough at that age to check all the doors in the car before just roasting in the back seat for hours. There are no safety locks on the driver doors, she would have been able to get out.

I don't remember for sure, but didn't her father lock her in the car when she was sick? So even if she was younger, she could have realized how to get out. But her fever made her just want to sleep. The story seemed to imply (to me) that the fever, combined with the heat of the car, helped burn the werewolf "toxin" out of Grace.

I thought the fever was enduced because she had severe heat stroke from being left in the car and nearly died.

I remember it as Meghan says, she was already sick (because of the werewolf infection?) and fell asleep in the car and so on. But it was a convenient thing - again, if her parents weren't so neglectful like forgetting her in the car, so much would have happened differently.

I don't think her parents were abanding her, but i do think they should have spent more time with Gracie.

I wonder when Beck picked Sam up? Does it say anywhere in the book? What about Sam going into foster care after his parents were put in jail? I would think that is what the state would do right? I wonder why Sam's parents did what they did to try to kill him. They should've known that wasn't painless and I wonder why they didn't do something that would've been a quick and painless kill. I don't know what since I've never tried to kill someone... maybe poison?

That's why I believe that they (his parents) weren't trying to kill him (intentionally). I think if they really wanted to kill him they would have done it some other way. Slitting his wrists and while he's in the tub is effective but not a sure death. Unless they wanted it to look like he was attempting suicide.

That is true... it's like secretly they hoped he survived. But still pretty dramatic for the whole family.

Sam was attacked by the wolves he was 7. I assumed that he didn't go into the foster care system because everyone thought he was dead.

His biological parents were trying to protect him from the devil.

Grace's parents were up there with Jeanette Wall's parents in The Glass Castle.The Glass Castle They were *useless.*

I have known parents like Grace's. People who should NEVER have reproduced in the first place because they are so wrapped up in themselves they have no time or room in their lives for a child. Even as long ago as when I was a teenager I had a friend whose parents were like them. Needless to say it was her house we all went to when we wanted to get high, get drunk or get laid because there was no one there who cared what we did. As for Sam's parents, tho there wasn't much to go on, I got the impression they were religious freaks, especially with the way they tried to kill their son.

I too knew someone who's parents were like hers. When I was a teen I thought their parents were the coolest and mine were the lamest. Now I look back and realize my parents were responsible and their's were terrible. Her mom would even have her brother go out and buy weed for her. Very sad situation.

I disagree with the opinions on this thread that the absence of Grace's parents is contrived. While I do acknowledge that the parents' lack of interest in their daughter is probably a device used so that Grace and Sam's relationship could develop unhindered, I thought Maggie does an excellent job throughout the story of demonstrating how Grace is affected by the parents' selfishness. Grace wouldn't be the self-sufficient, lonely girl that she is if her parents gave her more attention. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't have been (apparently) cured of the wolf toxin if her father hadn't forgotten about her in the car back when she was a little kid.

I would have a problem with this plot device if it wasn't strongly supported or if the characters were completely unaffected by it, but in this case, I felt the absence was nicely integrated into the whole story.

I believe that her parents didnt totally abandon her, but they just seem like the type of couple that loves Grace, but have a lot in their lives that doesnt revolve around Grace. This works out in a positive way though, because it gives grace and sam alone time, and being on her own made her the self-sufficient character we all love!