Maybe We’re Electric

Gr 10 Up–When Tegan Everly gets into a fight with her mother, she runs out of her house into a winter storm. Finding refuge in the quaint Thomas Edison Museum, where she used to work, she is shocked when the popular Mac Durant walks in, blood dripping from his hand. As the night unfolds, the two reveal the circumstances that led them there, while also sharing intimate details of their lives. Tegan, always self-conscious about being born with only two fingers on one hand, realizes that the way she has misjudged Mac through the years is no better than how others always seem to pity her for her limb difference. As the night plays out and the two begin to bond amid the eclectic historic gadgets, Tegan gets closer to divulging one secret that may destroy everything. Emmich creates an intriguing world inside the walls of the museum, allowing Tegan and Mac’s unconventional friendship to develop. Through Tegan, he depicts what it feels like to live with a disability, and succeeds at highlighting the conflicting emotions of teens as they deal with complex social and familial issues. Tegan and Mac are both white, and Tegan’s closest friend, Neel, is Indian American.