New York : HarperTeen, 2011, c2010.
308 p. ; 21 cm.
Mackler is the author of the ever popular and frequently challenged book, The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things - and that is probably the book by her I would have read if a student had not recently turned in Tangled and said, "Mr. Murrey, this was great. You have to read it!"
I read it and enjoyed it quite a lot. It's the story of four teens and the unlikely ways in which their lives come together and in which each of them grows and matures. The springing off event of the novel is a short week trip to a Caribbean island resort where the four of them end up briefly interacting. The rest of the novel takes place in New York state and New York City (and so the picture above of the Sheep Meadow in Central Park).
I'd say the thing that pleased me the most about the book was that I didn't really care for it at first, beginning as it does from the point of view of Jena. She is one of those "teen" characters who is feels just a little too smart, cute (but doesn't think she's cute), and self-aware. But oddly she grows on you and the other characters round out the novel really well - defying the surface stereotypes they seem, and revealing full, evolving human characters in the process. There are some nice plot turns throughout and lots of low key humor. Finally, there is a really tender romance in the book, and who can turn that down?
I'd definitely recommend this book for any readers interested in relationship fiction.
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