Synopsis: For Kirsten the world is crumbling. Her parents are barely speaking to one another and her best friend has come under the spell of the queen bee, Brianna. Only Kirsten’s younger science-geek sister is on her side. For Walker the goal is to survive the new private school his mother has sent him to to avoid him getting into trouble like his cousin. Two worlds collide in one compelling story when suddenly Kirsten discovers something that shakes both her and Walker to their cores.

Review: I have to confess that I was not expecting to enjoy this book. Initially, I found the American teenage angst and the chatty, jargon-laced style like so irritating! Was this simply a novel in the same vein as Sweet Valley High? If so, I was not interested. Imagine my surprise, therefore, to find myself becoming increasingly engrossed in the lives of the central characters, and challenged by the issues Choldenko raises.

The narrative style, while certainly informal, is sharp and funny, deftly using the one-liner either to comic or sharply insightful effect. The story is told in short, alternating chapters from the perspectives of Kirsten and Walker (hers in the first-person, his the third). This not only makes it a page-turning read, but also adds real depth to our understanding of the social worlds Choldenko is exploring.

The central theme of the novel is identity. Both Kirsten and Walker are struggling to make sense of where they fit at Mountain, an exclusive private school in the middle of affluent white American suburbia. For Kirsten, it is the disintegration of her parents’ marriage, coupled with changing friendships and the hostile force of peer pressure, which drive her to comfort eating and make her a target for bullying by the ‘in crowd’. For Walker, it is the battle to be accepted as an African American in a ‘white’ school, where privilege and social superiority are taken for granted. As Kirsten herself puts it:, “I’m a loose piece that doesn’t fit anywhere … the world is whole without me” (p. 58) Choldenko’s message is to accept and celebrate who you are, to challenge stereotypes and look beneath the surface of people. Friendship, the book suggests, is not about fitting in, but about acceptance, and loyalty when the going gets tough.

This book is probably more likely to appeal to girls, although its subject is one that many young people grapple with on a daily basis. It may be set in an American Junior High, but British teenagers will find much to identify with in it. I highly recommend it to KS3 classes, to read to enjoy, or to discuss the issues it raises.

Nicolette Jones in The Sunday Times

Diane Samuels in The Guardian

2008-01-13