Dar Williams - Amalee
I was requesting some CDs from the library, and found out that Dar Williams had also written two children's books, Amalee and Lights, Camera, Amalee.
Definitely recommended. Amalee is about an 11 year old girl whose father is seriously ill, and who has so much family-by-choice that it feels like a Joss Whedon story (minus the vampires!). The sequel goes on to deal with her just starting adolescence, and she is more concerned about figuring out herself, who she is, that the more usual adolescent novel that is all about sex. Bonus points for having a gay male character whose orientation just is, rather than being a major focus of angst and crisis.
As you might expect from a lyricist, Dar can turn out some very striking sentences. Examples: "Your shorts say 'safari' but your shirt says 'meeting the girls for lunch'.
and"I also thought of two girls I'd been not-really-friends with in the sixth grade: Ellen and Hallie. They had always been good at finding the most clever way to say a mean thing about a person. [...] I'd stopped being friends with Ellen and Hallie - or maybe they'd stopped being friends with me - but they still visited my mind from time to time when I was wearing pants that felt too tight or I had an idea that felt stupid."
Definitely recommended. Amalee is about an 11 year old girl whose father is seriously ill, and who has so much family-by-choice that it feels like a Joss Whedon story (minus the vampires!). The sequel goes on to deal with her just starting adolescence, and she is more concerned about figuring out herself, who she is, that the more usual adolescent novel that is all about sex. Bonus points for having a gay male character whose orientation just is, rather than being a major focus of angst and crisis.
As you might expect from a lyricist, Dar can turn out some very striking sentences. Examples: "Your shorts say 'safari' but your shirt says 'meeting the girls for lunch'.
and"I also thought of two girls I'd been not-really-friends with in the sixth grade: Ellen and Hallie. They had always been good at finding the most clever way to say a mean thing about a person. [...] I'd stopped being friends with Ellen and Hallie - or maybe they'd stopped being friends with me - but they still visited my mind from time to time when I was wearing pants that felt too tight or I had an idea that felt stupid."