 
|
All praise to this well-known children’s author for venturing into the world of young adult literature. Lisa Shanahan has written award-winning books for young children, but this is her first novel for the young adult scene. Through her words, the reader meets Gemma, a fourteen-year-old who is coming of age in the midst of three families. Family number one is her own, made up of an older sister and her parents. Family number two is the family of Brian, her sister’s fiancé, with a penchant for the military lifestyle. Family number three is the DeHead family, who lives on the other side of the tracks and whose son, Raven, becomes Gemma’s drama partner.
Gemma is a typical high school freshman, struggling to fit in, trying not to be noticed. She is fearful of speaking up in class, and she has managed so far not to draw attention to herself. Jody is her best friend and the sister to flighty Lauren, a senior. Gemma has a crush on an older student, Nick, who considers himself the Big Man on Campus. Gemma manages to capture his attention one day by discussing a local community issue with him while he is seeking signatures for a petition. Nick’s suggestion that Gemma should try out for drama gives her the courage to sign up for the annual play, even though new people are mostly unwelcome.
The bad guy at school, Raven DeHead, becomes enamored with Gemma and pitches his lot with the drama team for the auditions. It seems he has learned a lot about Shakespeare while spending time in detention.
This routine good girl/bad boy plot has a lot of unexpected moments, not the least of which is Gemma’s speech at her sister’s wedding.
This book deals bravely with the issues of racial and economic injustice, and the need for young people to be civic-minded. It also paints a realistic but encouraging picture of teachers and the public school system. This reviewer is excited about sharing this story with the freshman students.
|
|
The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It