The Chaperone
Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules: Embrace
purity. Navigate the world with care. Respect your chaperone.
Girls in New America must have a chaperone at all times. Because of this, Stella is
never alone. She can't go out by herself or learn about the world. She can't even
spend time with boys except at formal Visitations. Still, Stella feels lucky that her
chaperone, Sister Helen, is like a friend to her. And then the unthinkable happens.
Sister Helen dies suddenly, and Stella feels lost. Especially when she's assigned a
new chaperone just days later.
Sister Laura is ... different. She has radical ideas about what Stella should be doing.
She leaves Stella alone in public, and even knows how to get into the “Hush Hush”
parties, where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time
with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she's been taught. What if the
Constables' rules don't actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to
keep them safe?
Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America,
she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows, risking everything
to set out on a dangerous journey across what used to be the United States.
1141545265
The Chaperone
Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules: Embrace
purity. Navigate the world with care. Respect your chaperone.
Girls in New America must have a chaperone at all times. Because of this, Stella is
never alone. She can't go out by herself or learn about the world. She can't even
spend time with boys except at formal Visitations. Still, Stella feels lucky that her
chaperone, Sister Helen, is like a friend to her. And then the unthinkable happens.
Sister Helen dies suddenly, and Stella feels lost. Especially when she's assigned a
new chaperone just days later.
Sister Laura is ... different. She has radical ideas about what Stella should be doing.
She leaves Stella alone in public, and even knows how to get into the “Hush Hush”
parties, where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time
with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she's been taught. What if the
Constables' rules don't actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to
keep them safe?
Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America,
she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows, risking everything
to set out on a dangerous journey across what used to be the United States.
24.99 In Stock
The Chaperone

The Chaperone

by M Hendrix

Narrated by Laura Knight Keating

Unabridged — 11 hours, 15 minutes

The Chaperone

The Chaperone

by M Hendrix

Narrated by Laura Knight Keating

Unabridged — 11 hours, 15 minutes

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Overview

Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules: Embrace
purity. Navigate the world with care. Respect your chaperone.
Girls in New America must have a chaperone at all times. Because of this, Stella is
never alone. She can't go out by herself or learn about the world. She can't even
spend time with boys except at formal Visitations. Still, Stella feels lucky that her
chaperone, Sister Helen, is like a friend to her. And then the unthinkable happens.
Sister Helen dies suddenly, and Stella feels lost. Especially when she's assigned a
new chaperone just days later.
Sister Laura is ... different. She has radical ideas about what Stella should be doing.
She leaves Stella alone in public, and even knows how to get into the “Hush Hush”
parties, where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time
with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she's been taught. What if the
Constables' rules don't actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to
keep them safe?
Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America,
she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows, risking everything
to set out on a dangerous journey across what used to be the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A very well-written book. The characters are vivid, and the plot develops naturally." — School Library Connection

"M Hendrix does a good job of creating a world that feels very possible and scary in the current social climate of the United States." — Youth Services Book Review

"This thrilling and evenly paced, dialogue-driven tale by Hendrix deftly explores issues of women’s rights, class privilege, and oppression" — Publishers Weekly

"Hendrix’s dystopian society is somewhat of a Handmaid’s Tale for YA and offers a dark world with a glimmer of hope.” —Booklist, STARRED review

"Hendrix's storytelling is first rate: characters develop believably, and the action builds dramatically to a satisfying conclusion. A strong, rewarding contemporary vision of oppression." — Shelf Awareness

"The Chaperone is a brilliantly conceived, provocative, and finely crafted YA novel written by M Hendrix. It just might be one of the year’s best books written in this genre and one quite likely to be banned in Florida...Without hyperbole, M Hendrix may be the Judy Blume, or S.E. Hinton for the 21st-century." — BookTrib

"The Chaperone is a twisting, page-turning vision of a terrifying future, a laser-sharp commentary on current events and the true meaning of the word ‘freedom.’" — Sharon Cameron, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light in Hidden Places

Booklist (starred review)

“Hendrix’s dystopian society is somewhat of a Handmaid’s Tale for YA, and offers a dark world with a glimmer of hope.”

Kirkus Reviews

2023-03-29
A teenager coming of age in a patriarchal dystopian America discovers the way of life she’s always known is not the only one possible.

Seventeen-year-old Stella lives a privileged life in New America: She is beautiful, White, and the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the nation, which broke away from the part of the country they refer to as Old America. Despite her privilege, Stella’s existence is sheltered and circumscribed by the rules that keep women in their place in her society; since she turned 12 and got her first period, she has been under the care of Sister Helen, her beloved chaperone who supervises her at all times, ostensibly to protect her but really to indoctrinate her into her future role as a wife and mother. After Sister Helen dies under mysterious circumstances, she is assigned a replacement, Sister Laura, who encourages her to imagine a different future for herself. Before long, Stella is plotting her escape from New America, but she’s determined to do more than just save herself. Overall, Stella’s transformation feels stilted, with plot developments outpacing organic character growth. Stronger writing could have rendered her a more fully realized person whose responses to shocking events and later initiative and ability to effect change would feel more believable and cohesive.

An unconvincing foray into a dystopian future. (reading list) (Dystopian. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940175070126
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date: 06/06/2023
Edition description: Unabridged
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