Young Adult Books

This book is one of my favs.
I read in it in an hour!!!!
It is about a girl who has just turned 16 and is searching for who she is. She thinks she has found it, but is it who she really wants to be. To find out I encourage you to read
The Year I turned 16- Lily

Once I started this book I couldn't stop.It was a great book about how a 16 year old finds her true self.Se is the baby of the family and wants to be different then her sisters so she pretends to be someone she isn't.

Lily Lily Lily- A great character. A great ending book to the series. Boys, Jobs, complications, everything a sixteen yr old has. If youve read the other three books, dont stop there!! Continues and find what happeneds with Rose and Stephen, Laurel and Carlos. I recommend Highly!!!

This is the last book of a 4-book series. There are 4 sisters, and there is a book for each sister for the year they turned 16. Each book is written in first-person by that particular sister. The sisters, in order from oldest to youngest, are: Rose, Daisy, Laurel, and Lily.

This book is about the youngest sister, Lily Rebecca Walker. Lily's three older sisters had definite talents and interests when they were 16. Rose had singing; Daisy had sports; Laurel had animals. But Lily feels that she has no talents and no identity. Instead of being 'Lily', she feels as though she is 'Rose's sister' or 'Daisy's sister' or 'Laurel's sister'.

Determined to find herself, Lily ends up in the It crowd (via a boyfriend), and almost abandons her two best girlfriends who are not invited to the It crowd. Will Lily be happy in the It crowd, and is this really her true identity? Will she continue to be happy with her It boyfriend? Will she ever fully come back to her girlfriends? Will she find her true identity and a true love?

The 4 sisters have a wonderful relationship with each other. Their mother Maggie is the best and most wonderful mother in the world. She deeply and truly loves her daughters unconditionally. The whole family loves and appreciates each other.

This book is not just about a girl turning 16. It is about family. The important bonds of family love, linking the past, present, and future. If you don't get anything else out of this book, the book will have been worth reading just for that.

You don't have to necessarily read each book, but I would highly recommend that you do. You will enjoy the books a lot more if you read them all, and read them in order. More of the events and characters will be familiar and will be more meaningful if you've read the previous books.

I had read all of the previous three books and enjoyed them too but not as much as this one!A lot of people probably could relate to this story because Lily's situation happens to a lot of girls her age everyday.I recommend tis book to anyone who likes to sit down to a good book(but you'll love it so much you won't want to put it down)!

My son recommended this to me, when I had complained that I wanted a book that was cheerful. The first chapter was definitely the best of all, and it is what kept me reading through the rest of the book, which was also good.

I've read this book at least two dozen times. I read it once for myself, and each year I read it to my new batch of 7th graders. Everyone loves it. (There are a few parts I don't read to my students.) Every time I pick it up, I fall in love with the characters and am so glad to be part of their lives again! It's funny and sad and is so amazingly real. One year my students wrote Mr. Davis, and he replied. Mr. Davis and I corresponded back and forth for a few letters, and he was seemed like a great guy.

These stories get played on every long car ride our family makes, and all of us (from the first grader on up) are rapt. Davis uses his gentle voice and sly humor to paint unforgettable portraits of beloved relatives, local eccentrics, and lost friends. The stories are fresh and moving each time we hear them; in fact, the repeated listenings increase our appreciation for the mastery of Davis' telling.

This is family entertainment of the highest order.

I don't think anyone can listen to Donald Davis tell his Different Drummer story and not be touched by it. Just it alone is worth the price of the set of cassettes. You also get to hear LSMFT (yes, that's the title of the story), which has a nearly perfect ending. Each is a story so good that you wish you could forget it, so that you'd have the pleasure of listening to it again for the first time.

Listening to the story is better than reading it. His accent and voice make the vivid stories come alive. His stories, about growing up in western North Carolina are nostalgic, yet the issues will appeal to anyone of any age. My children 9 and 15 love his tapes along with my 70 year old parents. He is one of our favorite people to listen to in the car on trips.

Tracy's father decides he needs some "Together Time" with his kids after divorcing their mother. So he books a stay at Farnsworth House on Cape Cod, a place for divorced parents to bring their kids and spend some quality time with them. Two other families are also there: a divorced mother with three troubled kids (one a girl Tracy's age) and the other another divorced father with two more well-adjusted kids (and another girl Tracy's age).

The house is run by Sharon and her hottie son Paul. They cook for the families and even set up excursions to local attractions. Even though the house itself isn't too bad, Tracy's not having a great time. Beka, Lorraine's daughter and the first other girl that arrives, is a skinny dancer with an attitude problem and a nicotine addiction. They don't hit it off at all. When Kelsey, the tanned and friendly California girl, arrives, things start to look up.

Soon, though, Tracy is feeling left out again. Both Kelsey and Beka seem to be able to talk and flirt with boys without any problem. Tracy can barely make her mouth work to get a word out. When she meets Kevin and he seems interested in her, she is practically paralyzed.

I recommend this book for ages 12 and up. Told in Tracy's voice, the book is an easy and compelling read. Tracy's eating disorder (overeating for comfort) and internal conflict is dealt with honestly. Readers watch as she slowly begins to come out of her shell.

Overall, this is a very good read. My only complaint (and it's a small one, since the main focus of the book is Tracy) is that only some of the other characters are developed to any extent within the story. I didn't feel like I got to know any of the minor characters - in fact, it wasn't until I was writing this review and looking up references that I realized Lorraine had three kids. I only recalled Beka and Sean from the story. That's a small issue, however, and definitely not one to dissuade you from picking up this fun book.

When Tracy's father drags her along on a summer vacation designed for divorced parents and their kids, it turns out to be a lot better than she expected.

Insecure Tracy finds friends in Kelsey and maybe even Beka. She even meets a guy! Maybe "Together Time" isn't as bad as she expected...Or maybe it is. If she can find it in herself to be confident, to actually go for a guy, maybe it'll happen, despite what she may think. Of course, if she keeps thinking that way, her summer's not going to be exactly stellar. In the end, it's all up to Tracy.

MY NOT-SO-TERRIBLE TIME AT THE HIPPIE HOTEL is a cute, predictable feel-good story. It's a well-written novel, populated with enjoyable characters.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

this book was really good. i hope rosemary graham will write a sequel. it's a book i picked up and i literally couldn't put it down, except while taking notes in class (those are important). but whenever i had the chance to read during class...I DID!! i'm looking for another book kind of like it, but it's so hard to find one. the cover may not be interesting, but the book really is!

I picked up this book, thinking it would be for a much younger reader...and I loved it! Tracy's adventures at the Hippie Hotel are both moving and funny. She is a winning character and Rosemary Graham is a winning storyteller.

I won this book in a contest held by the author. It was one of the best books ever. I am 14 years old, and this book was wonderful. Full of the problems most girls face every day, and a few more unusual ones, this book is a great read for anyone!

In this extraordinary memoir from 1932-1934, Kitty Crockett Robertson describes her life on the North Shore of Massachusetts during the Depression, a time when she, a Harvard graduate, became a hard-working apple farmer to save the family farm in Ipswich. Her physician father had died, and Kitty, wanting to keep the farm from being sold for development, which her Boston-based brothers favored, decided to give up her job working at the Harvard Library to try to make the orchard profitable enough to save the land.

Working almost single-handedly, she spent the next two years doing all the dirty work, learning in the process that "The Depression was that time of leveling when she and her neighbors kept going on the strength they learned from each other." From her earliest days on the farm, she personally pruned trees, cleared land, repaired sprayers and tractors, gathered swarming bees into hives, hired five workers at twice the going rate (because they, too, needed to make ends meet), dealt with an arrogant banker anxious to foreclose, protected her apples at gunpoint when necessary, and then fought the weather, storms, and a December temperature drop to twenty degrees below zero in her efforts to bring the crop to market.

In the process she earned the love of her workers (who had regarded her, at first, as an idle "North Shore millionaire"), gave up everything in her personal life to devote herself completely to her task, worked up to 16 hours a day for two years during the apple and peach seasons, and gained new appreciation for the values she saw every day among her workers, the wholesaler who bought her drops and cider apples, and the purchasing agent of Harvard, who helped her make commercial connections to sell her crop.

Robertson, who became a newspaper and radio columnist in her later years, was a formidable writer who always recognized the values which unite people, regardless of their "class," and this quality pervades her personal memoir. Unfinished, because her life became too busy to finish it after 1934, it was discovered upon her death in 1979 by her daughter, and it is she who moves the story to its conclusion after 1934. Filled with personal detail and wonderful tributes to those who helped her, Robertson is never self-serving, readily admitting her weaknesses while stressing her efforts to succeed. A unique look at one farm and its history during the Depression, The Orchard is an extraordinary record of the times, written by a truly extraordinary woman. n Mary Whipple

My only complaint about this book is that it only covers two years of the author's life in detail. I hated for the book to end. I wish she had had time to write more, because she was an amazing person. Kitty's father, a doctor, raised his family in a colonial farmhouse by the ocean. Beginning in her childhood, he made Kitty learn to do a man's work in the orchard. He also gave her a series of boats to sail on the ocean. She loved the farm and the sea. She got a college education and a good job in a college museum, but gave it all up when her father died at the beginning of the depression. None of her brothers were willing to do the backbreaking labor to keep the heavily mortgaged farm working. Kitty quit her good job and immersed herself in running the orchard, which her father had always said would save the farm he loved. She lived alone except her beloved dog, with no money and little heat in the winter. Her own family seemed determined to see her fail. She found good, loyal friends though, and though her life was daunting, it was also full of the joy of nature and achievment. I can't praise this book enough.

This book was truly one of the most interesting and capturing books I have ever read. I felt like I was present in the story and now can't wait to go to Ipswich and see this old farm house.

The late Adele Robertson's story of her attempt to save her family's property by establishing a commercially viable apple orchard during the Great Depression is a true gem. Robertson, who later went on to become an award-winning columnist for the Ipswich Chronicle, writes in a clear first-person voice. At times wildly humorous and often poignant, the story is superficially about growing and selling apples. What it is really about is self-reliance and courage. It is no wonder that so many New England high schools now include this book on their reading lists -- Robertson (with the help of her daughter Betsey, who retrieved and edited the manuscript after her mother's death) has produced a riveting work that speaks to a woman's need to "make it on her own" without ever preaching about it.

The Orchard, a Memoir, is a great book. Last week I was on a long flight back to San Luis Obispo from Omaha and I had this book with me, a gift from my mom. I started reading it and totally forgot about the flight, never noticed the movie they were playing. A good number of times tears were just pouring down my face and I'd wipe them away, wondering if the people on the plane around me thought I was a bit crazy.
But I tell you, I'm crazy about this book! Honestly, I read a good deal and this is easily one of the most interesting, deepest, most powerful books I have read in years. Although true, a memoir, it reads just like a fine novel. I was so totally absorbed reading this rare gem of a find, that it was difficult to realize that the author had died some 20 years ago--she, Adele Crockett Robertson, seems so real, so full of life, so gutsy, so immediate.
Briefly, this is the story of a young girl, a smart, educated girl with a good head on her shoulders, who loses her job in the great Depression, and goes back to the family farm to try and save it from the bank. The many people in the book all come to life perfectly and there are surprises aplenty. I am a gardenwriter (author of Allergy-Free Gardening)and have farmed myself, and I appreciate what Adele went through. I would also add that this is no doubt the best picture of life during the Depression I've ever come across.
I plan to review this book every place that I can, because to my mind, this one is so good, so readable, so well worth reading, so enjoyable, so satisfying, that it completely deserves to be a best seller. Do yourself a favor and read this marvelous book!

Kerish-lo-Taan, third prince of the emperor, and one of the Godborn, has been chosen to fulfill the ancient prophecy of releasing the savior of Galkis. Seven keys held by seven sorcerers will unlock the seven gates imprisoning him. With the five kingdoms of the south united, and corruption within Galkis, it seems hopeless. With the help of his half brother, Forollkin the warrior, can the seemingly frail and childish Kerish complete his destiny?

I read the series of four books when an impressionable teen. They stuck with me for a very long time. My mum and I used to discuss who would play the titles roles as surely they would make a movie out of this fantastic series of books. Prince Kerish touched me in ways other books couldn't, you read, entranced as he turned from a spoilt boy into a man. There are still scenes I can relive in my head now. My particular favorite is Lihlanee the marsh cat, rescuing the prince as they enter the Dead Kingdom, so sad I cried. As others have written, the books are far too complex to explain easily. It took me some years to track them down too. I even used the books as a basis for my English exams! You have to read these books!

This is a suprisingly good series, though each of the four books is a short 200ish pages and could have just been sold as one 800ish page doorstopper in the current style.

It is about a fascinating central and ancient empire, the rulers of which are descended from gods, but have fallen into decadence. The empire itself is threatened by barbarians who have recently united.

The story focuses on half brothers, their relationship and personal growth, and their quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy that could save the empire.

The world Harris has created is particularly interesting.


I wonder why this was never reprinted, as it appears there are no copies available past the early 80's edition.

This novel was full of all sorts of magic. Through the use of her skills of describing Mrs. Harris brings to life a world of magic, adventure, and action. I can tell that this is the first in a line of spectacullar novels.

I hadn't heard of Geraldine Harris when I found volume three of this series in a Lexington bookstore. The title impressed me, however-The Dead Kingdom, and I bought the book based on a nice comment printed on the dust jacket. Over the next couple of years I accessed the internet and scoured stores for the other three installments by Harris. They proved elusive, or available but expensive buys on the net in those days. Persistence pays, however, and I found them. I began reading with the first volume, this book: A Prince of the Godborn. Godborn sets up the story, filling us in on Harris's world, providing an image of the main character, the godborn prince of a besieged kingdom. It seems some neighboring warrior tribes are threatening attack, and the Prince of the Godborn must act heroically, undertaking a quest that'll by no means be easy: to recover the keys to 7 ominous citadels, scattered pell-mell across Harris's landscape. The quest expands across the four books, the Prince encountering the kingdoms and citadels one by one, until the final, sobering encounter, as he ascends the enigmatic seventh citadel. FYI- The four books that tell this story are the following: A Prince of the Godborn, The Children of the Wind, The Dead Kingdom, and the Seventh Gate. A great series in my estimation, and a story I completed in back-to-back readings of the four books.

This book is a piece of art.Finished on the day my teacher gave it to me; she let me keep the book soon after.About dark arts and a desire to escape these arts,this book is extremly good and if you were to buy it you would not regret it.Thank you Ms.Frank!!!

When I was in fifth grade, my teacher read this to our class (early 80's). It had such an unusual storyline and setting. Krabbat must resist the evil goings-on in the mill while also trying to understand his place in it. I think I liked all the transformations and magic in this book, the theme of the battle between good and evil, his prophetic dreams and that love "won" in the end. I'm sorry to see it's out of print. It reads like a fairy tale, maybe owing to its German origins.

The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler is a great book to read. It is about a begger boy called Krabat who gets called to a mill in a dream. The mill is also a Black School. He met a female singer, and they both fell in love. Krabat wanted to leave the mill, but to do that the Singer (the book did not give her name) had to pick him out while he and all the other miller's men were in the form of ravens.
This book is very creepy, mysrerious, and unpredictable which, I think, is great. There are several things to focus on, so it doesn't get boring. It's very nervewracking, too. All in all, it is one of the best books I have ever read. I give it a five-star rating.

I bought this book in 1974 for 30p, purely because of the title. At the tender age of 11 I loved it. I have read it numerous times since then, the last being at the moment at the age of 40. I still can't put it down. Even though I know the story I find it enthralling, and it still keeps me on edge. I so wish they would make it into a film. Each of the 3 segments builds up to a great ending. You are really rivetted throughout. I cannot recommend it enough..it is my favourite book I have ever read. It's amazing how something costing 30p has given so much enjoyment over the years !!

I read this years ago, as a child and in Russian, and I still remember the feeling of genuine dread (and triumph) this story inspired. Even as I think of it now, I feel the hair rise on the back of my neck. The evil in the book does not chase after you--it waits for you to come to it, and invariably, you do. In that sense, the title THE SATANIC MILL is unfortunate--you expect the mill to be Satanic; in Russian translation, the book was called simply KRABAT (the main character's name), and you did not quite know what to expect.

The story begins as a young boy named Krabat, somewhere around present-day Eastern parts of Germany, falls asleep wandering, and dreams of ravens crowing. Their message is for him to go to the mill some miles away, to sign up as an apprentice. Which he does, of course, and soon learns that it is no regular mill. (Nor is it quite Satanic, actually--for it is not Satan who runs it). He may stay, or he may go; if he goes, he will learn magic from the Miller himself. Of course, he stays--and becomes one of the apprentices, who turn, at their Master's command, into black ravens. All peachy so far--until the cleverest (and the kindest) of all the apprentices dies an unnatural death--but not before having made his own coffin and dug his own grave.

In the (happy) end, of course, Krabat will have to choose between love and good and fairness--and magic. Between being a regular boy and a powerful Miller himself; but such a choice will not come to him easily--and he will have to fight for his life, and that of his love.

My favorite characters in the book were the idiot Yuro and the Great Pumphut, who gives the Miller a run for his money. The story is very creepy (or I think it would be for a 13-14 year old; I know it was for me), poignant and beautiful.

I love this book and this is a perfect source of good learning of idiom for a small price its comes with. Perfect choice of gift for people that would love to read

Can anyone tell me what this book says about the idiom, "the calm before the storm"?

The graphic desciption and origin of the idiom are excellent. The explanation of the idiom is written in simple English that my 5 year old understands and loves. She read half of the book in one sitting. It's like a joke book to her. She was having a good time by herself. (She reads on a 3rd grade level.) I even learned a few things. It's a must have resource like a special dictionary that will also help to expand vocabulary. I now want all of the author's books.

I absolutely love this book. I am a teacher and this book really helped my students in 7th grade learn what idioms are. They really enjoyed learning about where the idioms came from.

Fairly good source for origins of idioms. Not all are here, but many. Some "conjecture" as to origin on many, but they do seem logical. A good over-all (particularly sufficient for elementary level) resource & nice leisure reading.

An entertaining and cute astrology book for teens. Easy to understand and has fun facts about each of the signs. It also has some info about each rising sign, which if you don't know it, you can't figure it out from the book (it comes out wrong), but it is easy to find out on the internet. It even has a little about Chinese astrology and numerology. A great starter for teens and pre-teens who are interested in astrology.

If you're into the stars, you've gotta read this book! I don't know if the author's a witch or something, but she really knows what I'm like, inside and out! I lent this book to my g-friend who knew absolutely zero about astrology and now she doesn't want to give it back to me! Help!!! Lots of books are kind of a drag...like a school assignment. But this one's fun to read. And the writer said that Libra and Leo are a match made in heaven. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

If you're into the stars, you've gotta read this book! I don't know if the author's a witch or something, but she really knows what I'm like, inside and out! I lent this book to my g-friend who knew absolutely zero about astrology and now she doesn't want to give it back to me! Help!!! Lots of books are kind of a drag...like a school assignment. But this one's fun to read. And the writer said that Libra and Leo are a match made in heaven. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

My friend bought this book and I love it! She and I spend HOURS looking at it and stand amazed that our signs, in some ways, match us perfectly! We have a great time!

I got this book for my birthday and think it is totally great! I'm learning about astrology & it's cool! My friends and me read it at lunch & use it to figure out which boys we're good with. I really recommend this book and think it's great.

This book was very good. I liked just about all the characters in the book. Jenna the main character had a way of taking you off, i fealt realy bad for her in some parts of the story. The only thing that i dident quite like about the book was that after a "story" it then told you the truth behind it... It was sometimes a bit difficutlt to udnerstand or get through... But it was intersting... Now if only i can get a coppy of White Jenna to spur my minde a bit more....

I read the book about a year ago and still remember it in detail. A wonderful read!

This book was really cool. I liked the simpleness of it. I liked how she got to the point and didn't describe everylast detail. I also liked Pynt. She was my favorite character. She was mischivious, yet she had a loyal quality to her.

"Sister Light, Sister Dark" and its sequel, "White Jenna," hold places of honor on my bookshelves.

The story is about Jenna, a thrice-orphaned girl of the Dales (a fictional region) being raised by followers of Great Alta, the Goddess. These women--mostly unwanted daughters of local peasants--train for years to call up their "dark sisters." Jenna, who was born with completely white hair, may be the Anna foretold in prophecy.

Stuff happens.

Interspersed among the actual narrative chapters are ballads and myths of the Dales, as well as a pretentious contemporary historian's interpretation of the events of the story. Through his impeccable application of scientific method to historical research, he manages to get just about everything completely wrong. It's hilarious.

The third volume in this trilogy, "The One-Armed Queen," was a disappointment to me. While it was a good book in its own right, to me it didn't feel related to the other two--it worked on its own, but it was not part of the series. It concerns Jenna's one-armed adopted daughter Scillia, who seemed much less interesting than Jenna. Oh, well.

I highly recommend the first two books.

One of the best reprints produced by Starscape books has been the reissue of Jane Yolen's Alta trilogy, the first of which is "Sister Light, Sister Dark." While it takes awhile to get going, this unique and imaginative fantasy book introduces us to a fantasy story that's both familiar and innovative.

Jenna was orphaned three times: Her mother died in childbirth, the midwife died while taking her away, and the warrior woman who adopted her was also killed. She's taken in collectively by the follows of Great Alta, a benevolent goddess. They're somewhat Amazonian -- there are no men in their "hames," they are warriors, farmers, priestesses, and everything else that they need to be.

But Jenna is different from the rest. There's a prophecy that a white-haired child who lost three mothers is the Anna, a savior who will change everything. Events are set into motion when Jenna and her friend Pynt encounter teenage prince Carum in the woods, who is being hunted by a vicious warrior. Killing the warrior and saving Carum leads to destruction for Jenna's home and family...

Jane Yolen crafts a wonderful, believable place in the Dales. Not only is it very detailed and plausible-sounding, but she also sprinkles it with songs and historical studies. While the Alta series is often labelled "feminist fantasy," there's no preaching or two-dimensional male characters. Yolen simply shows us Jenna and Pynt operating on the same level as Carum, and leaves it at that.

Her writing is earthy and has plenty of detail without bogging itself down. The concept of "dark sisters" (sort of a nighttime-only spiritual twin) is an unusual and well-crafted one. The only problem is that it takes quite some time for the plot to get moving, and it's a jolt when it finally does; we go from no action to all-action in an instant.

Jenna is an excellent reluctant lead. Her mixed feelings (she both wants and doesn't want to be the Anna) are quite plausible, as are her strength and gutsiness. She's not some sort of supergirl; she cries, feels pain and loneliness like anyone else. Pynt is a good sidekick, with her mischievous attitude. And Carum is a strong counterpart (and romantic interest) to Jenna.

Since "Sister Light Sister Dark" ends on an unfinished note, readers will want to check out the second volume of the trilogy (also available from Starscape) "White Jenna." A unique epic fantasy.

Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson tells the story of Callie Smith, a teen girl who's been moving from town to town with her mother for as long as she can remember. As far as Callie is concerned, the story seldom changes - her mom meets someone new, falls in love, they move in together, life is normal for a while, and all too quickly normal ends and they are packed up and on their way again. As she starts high school in a new town, Callie dares to make friends and has hope that this time things will be different.

As the story unfolds, Callie realizes her mom is keeping a secret about their past and Callie's father, and the mystery becomes a great part of the story. A thread running throughout the narrative is the song journal that Callie keeps. It's like having a soundtrack of her life, and I found myself thinking about the songs that would go in my own song journal, and what the soundtrack of my life would be.

Songs for a Teenage Nomad explores many issues that are of interest to teenage girls and their moms - when is it okay for parents to withhold information they think is harmful to their children? What obligations does a child have to a potentially abusive parent? There's a lot to discuss in this well written book.

Ms. Culbertson really knows her audience. These characters become alive as the story unfolds. It's the type of book that's hard to put down because you become so involved with every character in the book.

Songs for a Teenage Nomad was a great, amazing story for pre teen and teenagers! It had fabulous descriptions that made you feel as if you really were in Calli's unique theatre troup or walking at the soft, sandy beach with her and a football player, whom she fell in love with. Her dad was a character who came in and out of the story, leaving young Calli to figure out whether she wanted her dad to be in her life, or if she just needed her mom. Calli the main character moved so often, and had to adjust to new cities, and make new friends which was especially harder for her to do. Even though Calli is just a regular teenage girl she has a sweet, funny personality and is determined to find her dad who wrote music for her when she was young, but ended up leaving her mom. The story captures passionate emotions and is truly a sorrowful, yet wonderful story of love, dissapointment, and excitement.

Calle Smith is a teenager that you've seen standing outside of a high school, or sitting on rocks at the beach. Lucky for us, Kim Culbertson gives us the privilege of knowing Calle, who has been forced to wander through her childhood, moving constantly, never really feeling a part of a community, or a school, or a group of friends. Music lyrics link the chapters to memory and place, the magic that melody and song give Calle, the constant she has lacked, and she records these moments in her journal. I have two teenagers who both read this book at a record pace, which is a testament to the phenomenal writing, compelling dialogue, and relevant emotion that prevails throughout the story. You will love this book, as Kim Culbertson makes everything about it feel so natural: this story of a girl who seems very real, who is familiar and new, who has a unique voice that is worth hearing.

Songs for a Teenage Nomad was a great, amazing story for pre teen and teenagers! It had fabulous descriptions that made you feel as if you really were in Calli's unique theatre troup or walking at the soft, sandy beach with her and a football player, whom she fell in love with. Her dad was a character who came in and out of the story, leaving young Calli to figure out whether she wanted her dad to be in her life, or if she just needed her mom. Calli the main character moved so often, and had to adjust to new cities, and make new friends which was especially harder for her to do. Even though Calli is just a regular teenage girl she has a sweet, funny personality and is determined to find her dad who wrote music for her when she was young, but ended up leaving her mom. The story captures passionate emotions and is truly a sorrowful, yet wonderful story of love, dissapointment, and excitement.