Sarah Withrow

From Amazon: Gr 6-8-Gwen is a normal, bright, and independent eighth grader laden down with an unusually self-absorbed family. When her mother, who left five years ago, begins to send her postcards from Europe, the girl begins to invent rituals to cast a spell over them to summon her mother home. Meanwhile, she must endure her school days. Her ex-best friend has moved away. Before she left, Gwen confided to her that life with her father includes Leon, his significant other. Her friend reacted with homophobic revulsion, and Gwen is determined to shield herself from future friendships. What she hasn't bargained on is a socially clueless and irritatingly persistent classmate dead set on becoming her new friend. The doggedly chipper Clara isn't at all fazed by Gwen's obvious cold shoulder. As the girls' relationship becomes a roller coaster of revealing moments, Gwen finds out that Clara has some complex issues of her own. At this point the girls are able to lay their secrets aside and begin a genuine friendship. Gwen and Clara are believable characters, and Gwen's first-person narrative gives the novel credible perspective. Readers meet a girl treading choppy adolescent waters, complicated further by the discomfort of her home life. The protagonists' emotional predicaments are refreshingly tempered with real-life adolescent moments concerning popularity, friends, class projects, and boys. Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY.… (meer)