55 pages • 1 hour read
Tae KellerJennifer Chan Is Not Alone
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “Now”
At school, everyone talks about Jennifer’s disappearance, but Mal is not interested in the rumors. Tess, on the other hand, indulges in rumors about Jennifer robbing a bank. Tess tells them her mother questions Mrs. Chan’s parenting and that people who don’t go to church can’t be trusted. She quickly adds that Mal and Reagan are the exceptions. Mal confesses that she thinks aliens may be involved, and Tess responds with disgust.
Reagan quickly leads Mal into the basement bathroom and tells her that she loves her and is concerned about her anxieties returning. She reminds Mal of how bad her overthinking was before they met. Mal tries to talk about her UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon) sighting and almost describes herself as a “walnut” before correcting herself. She backs up against the bathroom wall and remembers how they had cornered Jennifer in the same bathroom. Reagan assures Mal that she is a nice person, and that all they did was talk to Jennifer. Jennifer has a history of running away, and if their talk caused her to disappear, that just meant Jennifer was “fragile” and already had problems unrelated to them. Reagan discourages Mal from looking for Jennifer as it will make her look guilty. Mal tries to repress her guilt and only half-heartedly agrees with Reagan. Privately, she decides that she must tell Ingrid Stone and Kath Abrams about her sighting of the UAP, even if it feels like she is betraying Reagan.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Then”
The narrative flashes back to the sixth grade, when Reagan first befriends Mal. Mal often has anxieties about her place in the world and how she should behave. When she was in fifth grade, she fainted on a Ferris wheel ride. From that height, she felt like she was a “giant monster” who could destroy everything with a single “wrong step” (56). During a PE exercise where students climb a rope, Mal feels that she may faint again while waiting in line. Reagan, who is the new girl at school, senses Mal’s discomfort and gets her out of the activity. The girls bond over the experience and become swift confidantes. During one of their sleepovers, Reagan confides that she started a rumor about her mother being struck by lightning to manage how others talk about her. She admits that her mother left her family without saying anything to anyone. Reagan tells Mal that everyone leaves and no one can be trusted. Mal appreciates how much Reagan trusts her, and she promises that she will never abandon her.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Now”
Back in the present, Mal decides to ask Ingrid and Kath to help her find Jennifer. Ingrid is Christian and a science whiz, and Kath is Black and Jewish and the president of the Audio Tech Club. Their school is predominantly white and Christian. Initially, the two girls are not interested in speaking to her, and Mal blurts out that she thinks aliens may have abducted Jennifer. Mal is surprised to learn that Ingrid and Kath were not friends with Jennifer, though they both liked her.
Mal tells them about her UAP sighting, the “Wow” signal in the 70s, and Jennifer’s hunch that she knows the “phone number” or frequency to contact aliens. Rather than reject Mal’s theory, Ingrid is intrigued by the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but she feels that the search for Jennifer should be left to adults and professionals. Mal wonders what happened to Ingrid’s usual sense of curiosity and adventure. Back when they were friends, Ingrid had once set a controlled fire and burned her initials at Howard Park to see how forest fires were managed. Mal leaves the room feeling despondent, and she is surprised when Kath follows her and offers her help.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Then”
The narrative flashes back to Jennifer’s first week of school. Mal doesn’t want her friends to find out that she spent her summer hanging out with a girl who believes in aliens. Reagan spent her summer out of town with her older sister and returns to school wearing makeup and a push-up bra. At lunch, Reagan confides to Tess and Mal that her sister let her drive her car multiple times. Tess jokes about how Jennifer and her mother probably bond over being murderers. She then quickly apologizes to Reagan and feigns concern that the topic of mothers might upset her. Reagan retorts that her mother died in an accident and that she’s not offended. Mal notices that Tess often intentionally pokes at Reagan’s sensitivities.
Reagan jokes that Mal has become best friends with Jennifer and will leave them, and Mal senses the hurt hidden behind Reagan’s statement. Tess assumes that Mal and Jennifer must have a “secret connection” because they are “obviously” alike (79), and Mal feels uncomfortable, but she can’t pinpoint why. Reagan invites Jennifer to their table and asks her about her friendship with Mal over the summer. Mal denies that they spent that much time together. Jennifer leaves the table with the comment: “Oh […] I get it […]. You’re mean girls” (84). Reagan insists to Mal and Tess that she was just being nice and accuses Jennifer of being judgmental.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Now”
The narrative returns to the present and the following day at school after Jennifer’s disappearance. Mal is disappointed that none of her friends seem worried about Jennifer, and she begins to question whether she and her friends are good people. During an assembly, Principal Vaughn assures the students that the police are investigating Jennifer’s disappearance. He encourages anyone with information to speak up. He compares the school and town to a big, loving family, but Mal thinks she has never felt this way about her community. Mal struggles between remaining silent and wanting to tell an adult about the Incident. However, she convinces herself that if the aliens are real, then what happened in the bathroom doesn’t matter.
A loud screech from the speakers disrupts the assembly, and the school’s technician can’t stop the noise. Mal counts the duration of the beep—it lasts for 72 seconds. Principal Vaughn dismisses the students, and Mal meets up with Ingrid and Kath in the crowd. She asks Kath if anyone at the school could be behind the noise. As the Audio Tech Club president, Kath confirms that no one she knows could have programmed the signal. With the mystery deepening, Ingrid agrees to join their investigation.
The chapter ends with an excerpt from Jennifer’s journal, Volume V, called “What I Need” (93). She discusses her father’s illness, and she says she needs the courage and strength to continue searching for aliens for the both of them.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Now”
Mal, Ingrid, and Kath agree to meet at Mal’s home under the pretense of working on a project for school. Leah Moss, Mal’s mother, picks up the girls and is pleased to see that Mal and Ingrid appear to be friends again. Mal texts the girls while in the car to communicate with them privately, but Ingrid and Kath don’t look at their phones and continue to talk politely with Mrs. Moss. Kath asks Mrs. Moss about her job and the college system. Mal notices how differently they behave from Reagan. During the drive, the radio cuts out into static with loud, intermittent beeps that give Mrs. Moss a headache. The girls exchange knowing glances and keep their composure for the remainder of the ride.
Chapter 14 Summary:
In Mal’s room, Mal, Ingrid, and Kath talk excitedly about the day’s signals. Kath and Mal are convinced that the aliens are communicating through the radio, but Ingrid, who has done some research, informs them of three obstacles she labels “MALAISE, METHOD, and MESSAGE” (98). Ingrid explains that “malaise” refers to her concern that their investigation goes against the authorities and may lead them into danger. Mal mentions Jennifer’s altruism theory, but Ingrid is doubtful that aliens or humans can be good. Kath shares Mal’s optimism, and Mal wonders when Ingrid became so cynical. The girls agree to be cautious and aware that their actions have consequences.
Explaining the “method” obstacle, Ingrid refers to the giant radio telescopes used by scientists from the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute. The girls have no access to this type of technology. Kath agrees to use her access code to enter the school’s media tech room so they can access the school’s technology to help with their search. Finally, for “message,” Ingrid points out that they need to know what frequency to send the radio signal. Mal remembers Jennifer’s volumes of notebooks and suggests they use her research to find the right channel. They agree to have a sleepover and break into Jennifer’s room in the early morning when Mrs. Chan leaves to join the search party. Mal intentionally doesn’t mention the Volume VII notebook that Jennifer gave her.
Chapters 8-14 Analysis
These chapters focus on a deeper shift in Mal’s perspective as she begins to see the world from Jennifer’s eyes and form her own opinions, which speaks to the theme of Fostering Empathy and Kindness to Combat Bullying. For the first time, Mal questions whether she and her friends are good people. After bullying Jennifer, Reagan claims that Jennifer is the one who is being judgmental, when, in reality, Jennifer’s “mean girls” comment is both bold and perceptive. By reversing the positions of the bully and the target of bullying, Reagan reassures Mal that she is good and they are the ones who have been maligned. However, the assertion rings hollow to Mal when Reagan takes her to the basement bathroom where the Incident occurred. Here, Mal undergoes a different kind of reversal by putting herself in Jennifer’s place. She inadvertently takes a step back and bumps into the wall, and “[f]or a moment [her] mind flashes to Jennifer, pressed up against the bathroom sinks” (53). Mal also begins to use phrases that Jennifer would use and stops short of calling herself “a walnu–weird” (53). By putting herself in Jennifer’s position, Mal begins to develop a sense of empathy and responsibility for her previous actions.
These chapters also highlight The Importance of Facing the Truth by showing how Mal is as yet unable to face facts and acknowledge her role in Jennifer’s disappearance. Once Mal begins to empathize with Jennifer, she can’t repress her gnawing guilt for bullying Jennifer. She states: “I shove the door closed on the thoughts of what we did, like a closet overflowing with dirty clothes [...] but that door won’t stay shut” (54). At this stage in the novel, she knows that she must act to help Jennifer, but she is still hesitant to take responsibility for the pain that she has caused. Reagan functions as the voice of deflection—she blames Jennifer for being too sensitive and “fragile” in the first place. Mal, too, follows a similar logic of deflecting blame when she delves into her search for extraterrestrial life and considers her involvement in the Incident “irrelevant.” She believes that proving the existence of aliens absolves her of her own guilt since aliens, and not Mal’s bullying, become the source of Jennifer’s disappearance.
Mal also wrestles with The Complexities of Loyalty and Friendships when she wonders at her friends’ nonchalance about Jennifer’s disappearance. Also, when confronted with Jennifer’s accusation that they are “mean girls,” Mal is forced to recognize her friends’ ill-will and pettiness. Moreover, she recognizes that they are part of a larger culture of exclusion and judgment she sees in her town. When Principal Vaughn invokes the school’s identity as “one big family, full of small-town spirit and love” (87), Mal reacts with doubt. She remarks: “He seems to genuinely believe it, but when I look around, I don’t see it (87). Mal perceives that the statement may only selectively apply to those who are socially accepted. Tess embodies prejudice and insensitivity and functions as a microcosm of the worst aspects of “Nowhereville.” She is obsessed with gossip and unwelcoming of nonconformists, and her mother casts judgmental insults at the Chans. Tess is a flat character who reliably makes inappropriate and malicious comments. She inflicts microaggressions such as assuming that Mal and Jennifer must have an essential bond as Asians and intentionally brings up upsetting topics like Reagan’s mother. Tess’s family is biased against people who do not go to church, and Mal’s impression of her school and her town explains why she strongly fears losing her place in the school’s hierarchy.
The novel explores different belief systems—from organized religion to personal reflection—to highlight how Mal starts to form her own definitions of being a good person. It presents religion as something that can perpetuate hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness, as demonstrated in Tess’s family, or as a comfort and personal guide when it is not forced upon others, as in the example of Mal’s father who “waits for other people to draw their own conclusions” (34). Jennifer’s confidence in extraterrestrial life functions as another belief system and a metaphor for her faith in humanity. Her belief in the altruism theory demonstrates Jennifer’s optimism that humans are essentially good. Mal, on the other hand, believes that neither aliens nor humans can be harmless. However, after meeting Jennifer, she comes to believe in the possibility of aliens, which, by extension, is a belief in the potential goodness of humankind and herself. Thinking that she can be a good person motivates Mal to do the right thing.
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