Show Notes

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

Today I’m talking about a book by one of my favorite authors, Morgan Matson.

I love her books. Many of them deal with loss and they all make me really think. They also completely keep me in the moment with characters. The one I’m talking about today is her most recent release, Take Me Home Tonight. You can find links to it and to her other books in Referenced in this Episode section of this page.

ALL THE CRINGING

I had to put down Take Me Home Tonight several times because I was cringing about what I knew was going to happen.

As a writer, I know that you have to put your characters through the wringer. That’s what makes the story engaging and propels them to the change/realization/growth they need.

But as a Mom, yikes! I could literally see all the mistakes that Kat is making. Not to mention all the consequences that are barreling towards them.

This brings up a great discussion point. Was it better for Kat to make these mistakes on her own? Or would it have been better for someone to intervene?

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

This is a big question for us as adults, isn’t it? When to step in – if at all. We want to protect them from pain, but I was reminded this week that doing that might actually be harming them in the long term.

This quote smacked me in the face when I read it:

Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler Ross on how beautiful people are made:

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

Source: Death: The Final Stage of Growth

I don’t know about you, but I want my teens to be beautiful on the inside. And I know, on a gut level, that growing that kind of beauty takes everything Elisabeth Kubler Ross is talking about.

Life already throws all kinds of defeats, suffering, struggle and loss at us. So when it’s our teens’ own choices that are bringing those things into their lives, it’s easy to want to jump in and fix it.

STAYING IN THE CLASSROOM OR TAKING THE FIELD TRIP?

I have to remind myself that experience is the very best teacher of all. And there are some kids who get the lesson in the classroom, but there are others – I myself was one of these kinds of kids – who have to take the field trip for the lesson to really sink in.

Take Me Home Tonight is a great book to talk about that idea with your teens – learning in the “classroom” vs. “going on the fieldtrip.” As I said before, the disaster is clearly looming and your teens will be able to see that too.

Talking about the emotions and physical feelings this brings up can segue into you sharing. You may want to point out that you sometimes feel that way when you’re watching them. Then ask how they tend to learn best. Is it going on the field trip to make their own mistakes or learning vicariously? Would they prefer for you to help them avert a crisis?

Plus, talking about letting them live with the consequences is great here too.

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT AND ALL THE SHENANIGANS

Now, having said all that, this book is a bit campy in all the shenanigans that go on. In fact, the book even references Adventures in Babysitting and a couple of other similar films, to give you an idea of everything packed into this story.

There are too-good-to-be-true coincidences. A mugging turns “funny” instead of terrifying. There are crazy dealings with the mafia and the CIA, and more.

While the action of Take Me Home Tonight is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Morgan Matson does a fabulous job  building characters that are realistic and believable.

FEELING ALL THE FEELS IN TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

The over-the-top stuff is lots of fun. I also felt all the feels in this book – from the nail-biting suspense to the emotional exchange between Stevie and her Dad.

The issues that are touched on in the book include:

• Choices
• Dating Relationships
• Friendship
• Future Plans
• Listening
• Love
• Lying
• Parent/Teen Relationships
• Personal Growth
• Responsibility
• Secrets
• Self-Awareness
• Sibling Relationships
• Teacher/Student Relationships
• Voice

THINGS THAT STOOD OUT IN TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT

Kat & Stevie’s Friendship

It hits a crisis point at the worst time possible. Stevie has to learn to use her voice, particularly in her relationship with her neglectful father. Kat has to face the fact that sometimes she blows through other people’s boundaries without considering the consequences.

Kat’s dynamic with her theater teacher

This part of the book was fantastic, especially for talking about things like manipulation and maturity. Her eyes are opened to who this guy really is, and it shifts everything about how she sees herself and her future.

Stevie’s relationship with her step-siblings

I love how Morgan Matson used this to show how Stevie protects herself both from them and from what her friends might think of her if they knew the truth about how she was acting.

The self-realization and growth of the characters

Kat and Stevie experience a lot of both, and it opens up a great opportunity to talk about how our teens see themselves – what things about themselves are they accepting as “it is what it is”? And is that the truth?

Annoyances and Quirks

It’s also a springboard for talking about the little peccadilloes we accept in our friends – and what can happen if we’re not really letting them go, but just stuffing them.

Identities and Triggers

Kat’s larger-than-life personality and confidence paired with Stevie’s quiet, chill endurance and emerging voice mean that many teens will be able to see themselves in these characters. Which is also a great thing to discuss with them – who do they identify with more? Does one of them trigger emotions in them, like resentment or annoyance? Sharing your answers to those questions will also tell your teens a lot about you.

Take Me Home Tonight as a Springboard for Deeper Conversations

Take Me Home Tonight is a fun read that you can use to talk about lots of issues with your teens. Buuut, if you’d like some help with coming up with those talking points, or you just want to enjoy reading the book without any heavy lifting, I’ve created a set of Discussion Questions for the book that you can purchase here.

If you’re looking for more suggestions for great YA books that can spark conversations with your teens, I’d love for you to join my Meaningful Mentor Book Database subscription.

Referenced in this episode

Morgan Matson Books