The Landry News

Clements uses the first two chapters to introduce the two main protagonists, Cara and Mr. Larson, as well as the negative ways in which they have dealt with their life challenges. Cara has used her self-created newspaper, The Landry News, as a coping mechanism and a way to vent her frustrations by lashing out at others through writing stories that twisted facts into weapons. In truth, she held no anger toward the people at her old school but lashing out at them felt easier than dealing with the pain and anger she felt toward her dad for leaving. As a result, Cara only extended her hurt to other people through her writing, and the angry way with which she sniffed out truth aligns with the book’s major theme: The Ethics of Journalism. Similarly, Mr. Larson is frustrated with his job because it doesn’t feel as rewarding as it once did. At the story’s opening, he barely puts effort into teaching because he’s worked tirelessly for years, struggling to support his children, and he’s burned out by trying to make meaningful connections with his students. The Landry News initially pushes Mr. Larson further from his students because, like Cara, he doesn’t want to accept the truth—in this case, that he has intentionally shoved his students aside. Also, like Cara, Mr. Larson realizes he can’t hide from the truth, and his decision to do something about the points in Cara’s article jumpstarts the transformation he experiences throughout the rest of the book. Although in some ways the novel shows Cara and Mr. Larson in parallel positions, their attitudes are juxtaposed in the beginning. Cara’s approach as a hurt child is to lash out; Mr. Larson’s as a tired adult is to become apathetic. The contrast between their parallel attitudes sets up the relationship between them, in which they will respond to challenges and conflict by learning from one another’s perspectives.

The chapter titles in The Landry News contribute to the book’s overall messages about journalism. Each title functions as a headline, offering context for the contents of the chapter in an attention-grabbing way—much like a newspaper headline would. By structuring chapter titles in this way, Clements creatively expresses the novel’s journalistic interest and shows the power headlines can wield. The title of Chapter 1, “New Kid Gets Old Teacher,” speaks directly to the heart of the chapter—Cara is a relatively new student at her school, and she gets a teacher who’s been teaching for years. The headline is also a metaphor because Cara has spent the last year unwilling to listen and learn. Thus, she is “new” to being a student in that she wants to be taught. In contrast to Chapter 1, the title of Chapter 2, “Roof Blows off Schoolroom,” is strictly an attention-grabber. The roof does not literally blow off, meaning this headline is a metaphor for an explosive event—namely, Mr. Larson’s anger exploding at Cara’s article about his teaching style. In conjunction with the rest of Clement’s chapter titles, these show the variety of headline styles, the different emotions that headlines can invoke, and their ability to mislead unless the whole article is read.

The conversation between Cara and the kids on the bus in Chapter 3 foreshadows the development of the book’s theme on The Importance of Trusting Others and shows the power of truth to bring people together. While Cara’s article elicited a negative response from Mr. Larson, the other kids in his class are curious about why Cara wrote the article and, after she explains the teacher-of-the-year awards, what changed about Mr. Larson. Cara knows there is a buried story, and her dedication to digging up the truth makes other people notice her because she’s doing something to stand out. Initially, the kids are only interested in what Cara’s investigation will reveal but, as the story progresses and the class learns more about the process of creating a newspaper and writing articles, they begin to respect Cara for her skills and to like her for the change she brings to Mr. Larson’s class. The novel shows that, through seeking the truth, Cara now endears others to her, which is a direct contrast to how she formerly wielded the truth to hurt people. Truth itself is not inherently good or bad, and the different ways Cara constructs her stories show how truth may be used for good or ill, depending on the author’s intentions.

Cara’s discussion with her mother in Chapter 5 deepens Cara’s character arc. At the beginning of the story, Cara is less angry than she was prior to the book’s opening, but she still feels alone and frustrated, partly because she seems invisible and partly because she is trying to do everything on her own without letting others in. Again, The Importance of Trusting Others makes an appearance here, showing how Cara doesn’t truly begin to change until she opens herself up to friendship and the responsibility friendship requires. Her mother’s words about mercy have multiple meanings. At face value, they are aimed at Cara’s article writing. It is fine for Cara to tell the truth, but there is a difference between telling the truth to hurt people and telling the truth to make people aware. Cara didn’t want to put mercy in her truths before because she felt the world hadn’t given her mercy—thus, she didn’t owe it to anyone else. After realizing all the people she hurt, though, Cara starts to understand how much power she wields by exposing truths for all to see and that she will always be alone if she insists on telling the truth in a hurtful way. Her final thought of Chapter 5 shows her beginning to contemplate how she can change her newspaper, and this is a critical first step in her transformation, as well as the evolution of The Landry News.