Summer Reading Day 1: A Million Miles from Boston by Karen Day
Well, school's out for the summer and it's time for my book-a-day challenge. I'm leaving for the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans tomorrow, so reading will definitely be a challenge! Blogging will be too! And my diet will be a challenge as well, because I love all the different kinds of food the city has to offer.
Book #1 of the summer of 2011:
A MIllion Miles from Boston by Karen Day. 212 p. Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House, April 5, 2011.
Lucy is not comfortable with change and she's about to experience a lot of it. She's anxious about leaving the comfort of her elementary school, where she had an extra year while a new junior/ senior high school was being built; and her father has been dating a woman that Lucy just calls, "the PT," and refuses to get to know. She's looking forward to fleeing Boston for The Point and the beach house that has been in her father's family for years. She's also looking forward to starting her summer camp, spending time with her dog and fleeing from the irritating Ian, a popular boy who makes her feel small.
When Lucy arrives, she discovers that even her beloved Point is not immune to change. One of the cottages was torn down and replaced by a MacMansion. She's horrified to learn that it is Ian's family who are moving in. Also, her father seems intent on taking his relationship with the PT, Julia, to a higher level and invites her to visit, often.
Even though her mother died when she was six and she's nearly thirteen now, Lucy still grieves and feels partially responsible. She is a bit of a control freak and rigid in her assumptions. She can also be downright rude - to Ian, to her father and to Julia. So, this is a novel about change and friendship and belonging. It's a nice summer read set in a beach community in Maine. There's a strong sense of place and Lucy is realistically drawn. Her father is a bit of bumbling idiot for just sort of springing these weekends with Julia on his children and not discussing anything with them first, but Lucy's little brother is much more accepting of Julia. It is clearly Lucy who has the problem and Julia is very patient. So is Ian, for that matter. Sure, he's loud, but he has a good heart and the reader learns that Lucy can come off as Little Miss Perfect, so he might have some good reasons for giving her a hard time.
This is definitely a tween girl novel, but it is nice to have something to give to the reader who wants a little drama, the possibility of some romance, and a dead mama. That sounds a bit more flip than I intended it to be, but I kind of like the rhyme - drama/ mama.
Book #1 of the summer of 2011:
A MIllion Miles from Boston by Karen Day. 212 p. Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House, April 5, 2011.
Lucy is not comfortable with change and she's about to experience a lot of it. She's anxious about leaving the comfort of her elementary school, where she had an extra year while a new junior/ senior high school was being built; and her father has been dating a woman that Lucy just calls, "the PT," and refuses to get to know. She's looking forward to fleeing Boston for The Point and the beach house that has been in her father's family for years. She's also looking forward to starting her summer camp, spending time with her dog and fleeing from the irritating Ian, a popular boy who makes her feel small.
When Lucy arrives, she discovers that even her beloved Point is not immune to change. One of the cottages was torn down and replaced by a MacMansion. She's horrified to learn that it is Ian's family who are moving in. Also, her father seems intent on taking his relationship with the PT, Julia, to a higher level and invites her to visit, often.
Even though her mother died when she was six and she's nearly thirteen now, Lucy still grieves and feels partially responsible. She is a bit of a control freak and rigid in her assumptions. She can also be downright rude - to Ian, to her father and to Julia. So, this is a novel about change and friendship and belonging. It's a nice summer read set in a beach community in Maine. There's a strong sense of place and Lucy is realistically drawn. Her father is a bit of bumbling idiot for just sort of springing these weekends with Julia on his children and not discussing anything with them first, but Lucy's little brother is much more accepting of Julia. It is clearly Lucy who has the problem and Julia is very patient. So is Ian, for that matter. Sure, he's loud, but he has a good heart and the reader learns that Lucy can come off as Little Miss Perfect, so he might have some good reasons for giving her a hard time.
This is definitely a tween girl novel, but it is nice to have something to give to the reader who wants a little drama, the possibility of some romance, and a dead mama. That sounds a bit more flip than I intended it to be, but I kind of like the rhyme - drama/ mama.