by Nicole McInnes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 23, 2016
A tender, often funny tale, this story's heartbreaking ending packs no less of a punch even though readers are prepared for...
Three misfits whose friendship fell apart in the sixth grade rediscover their bond in high school.
Their story unfolds in alternating first-person narration. As a toddler, Agnes was diagnosed with progeria syndrome, which causes her to age prematurely and remain physically small. Her fat best friend, Moira, endured taunts due to her size until she discovered that dressing as a goth and acting tough provided some protection from her classmates' cruelty. When Boone, with whom they used to be close, is particularly nasty to them one day, it paradoxically sets off a chain of events that lead them back to friendship. Each character is fully explored, and the confessional, introspective voices of the three white teens nicely, if at times a bit obviously, explain their motivations. Boone's struggle to make ends meet financially and his desperation to keep his mother's plunge into depression a secret after the death of his dad are keenly portrayed, and the juxtaposition of his home life against the extraordinarily caring families of Moira and Agnes is startling, even as Agnes faces a medical condition that affects every aspect of her life and Moira deals with body-image agony.
A tender, often funny tale, this story's heartbreaking ending packs no less of a punch even though readers are prepared for it . (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30284-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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by Kathleen Glasgow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
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New York Times Bestseller
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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by Lynn Painter ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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