Opinions of a Professional Reader
NY: Simon & Schuster, 2011.
It’s not easy writing a novel, and anyone who has done it tends to be generous in judging someone else’s debut work. That really isn’t necessary in this case, though, because Kirby does a generally first-class job of telling her story. At sixteen and about to be a high school junior, Anna Ryan has spent her entire Southern California life within the sound of the surf.
NY: Viking, 2009.
I only recently discovered this author, whose books are marketed as Young Adult, but I’m very impressed with her work, period. She considers themes and issues of interest to teenagers, but they should also actually appeal to any reader who is interested in people and how they interact with each other. And Dessen never, ever writes down to her readers. She expects you to pay attention and think about what you’re reading regardless of your age.
NY: Viking, 2013.
Dessen has won a number of awards for her novels and frequently appears on “Best of the Year” lists — but always as a “Young Adult” author. That’s a form of ghettoization I try to avoid. I consider her simply a first-rate author of highly enjoyable fiction, period. Her eleventh book is about 18-year-old Emaline, plowing through her last summer at home, working in the family’s three-generation beach-rental business before heading off to a nearby state university. A perfectionist, highly organized (she was the only 5th Grader with her own filing cabinet), and a naturally helpful sort, she’s very well liked in the little coastal town of Colby (which feels like North Carolina), and she knows absolutely everyone.
Los Angeles: Uglytown, 2003.
Andrew Kindler is a professional arsonist who has found it expedient to leave his home and his dodgy employers back in Baltimore and go visiting his cousin, Caroline, in Los Angeles. He has decided to try to make a new life, if only people would let him, . . . but he probably shouldn’t have taken that money with him when he left.
BookSmith 