Zane's Trace by Allan Wolf

Wolf, A. (2007). Zane’s trace. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763628581

Plot Summary: Zane Guesswind is born into a family with all sorts of problems. His mother was mentally ill and committed suicide while he suffers from epileptic seizures. In order to battle the voices he hears in his head, he uses his sharpie markers to write on the walls, his stolen 1969 Barracuda. When his grandfather dies, Zane is convinced that he is responsible for his death. As a result, he decides to take his older brother’s driver’s license along with the Barracuda on a road trip to Zanesville, Ohio. Zanesville is the site of his mother’s grave and where he plans on killing himself. On his journey, he meets Libba, Libba Ration. Throughout their journey, the talkative Libba helps Zane understand certain aspects in life. The relationship between the two characters is quite interesting and takes a surprising turn. With interwoven stories of people from Zane’s past, the story is intriguing and haunting at the same time.

Critical Evaluation: I was surprised to see how quickly I read through the book. When I first started, the story seemed very morbid and I was a bit skeptical about whether this was something I wanted to include in my genre study. But once I got half way through the novel, I realized how carefully the book was developed. The way the historical characters were interwoven into the story was at first confusing, but once it happened a few more times, readers then realize it is part of the narrative style. As someone who is not a huge fan of poetry, I was able to really appreciate the poetic elements throughout the story. The way the book came to an end was a great surprise, however, I wanted to know more. I found the author’s note really interesting at the end of the story. I love how the story included factual places. It made the story so much more interesting to find out that Zane’s destination was real.

Information about the Author: Allan Wolf is an author, teacher and poet who lives in North Carolina with his wife and three kids. He then became the director for Poetry Alive! which provides theatrical poetry shows across the United States.

Annotation: Zane takes a road trip to Zanesville, Ohio to kill himself at his mother’s grave. On his journey, he meets Libba and experiences changes that will alter his path.

Genre: Adventure

Curriculum Ties: United States Geography

Booktalking Ideas: Read a few stanzas of poetry from the book and discuss the meaning and poetic elements. Explain how the book is a novel but has many poetic features.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 9th-12th grade

Challenge Issues: Suicide, robbery, mental illness

Reason for Inclusion: The mood of the book is very dark, but was included for those readers who want something different. I really enjoyed this book since it has a hopeful ending. The plot and characters are very edgy and definitely a worthwhile read.