BON VOYAGE, CONNIE PICKLES
by Sabine Durrant
Determined to reconnect with her estranged grandparents and forget about ex-crush William (Cross Your Heart, Connie Pickles, 2007), 15-year-old Connie embarks on an exchange program to France. The fact that she and her companion get on the wrong train and end up somewhere in Belgium instead of Paris should be a clue to her that not everything is going to go as planned. Connie’s host family includes one shoplifting Goth sister, one nerdy, kind brother, one dreamy, self-centered brother and two parents on the verge of divorce. When William’s girlfriend Delilah arrives, things get even more confusing. Connie finds herself trying to sort out her own life, which leads her to kiss several boys, nearly get arrested for stealing and wrestle with new and old friendships. On top of that, she attempts to reconcile her mother with her grandparents and help her host family through their own crisis. In her latest adventure, Connie manages to stay true to herself through it all. Funny and heartwarming. (Fiction. 12+)