From Publishers Weekly
Williams (The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson) pens another story of a girl in deep distress, this time profiling ninth-grader Carolina McKinney, struggling to cope with the accidental deaths of her father and older sister who left on a trip from which they would never return. A year after their fatal plane crash, Carolina and her mother are just starting to put their lives back together. Mrs. McKinney, made remote by her grief, is making a concentrated effort to reconnect with her surviving daughter. Carolina takes a few tentative steps toward fresh beginnings as she starts high school, falls in love for the first time and becomes interested in photography. Carolina sorely misses having an older sister to guide her through hard times, especially when best friend Mara makes a play for new beau Garret. While weathering disappointment, betrayal and some ugly truths about her friends and family, Carolina learns to rely on her own strength and courage. Although Mara is too pointedly cast as a villain and fickle Garret is too easily led astray, Carolina remains an honestly wrought heroine, whom readers will understand and respect. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-A story of a 14-year-old coming to grips with the death of her father and sister in a plane crash, her own coming-of-age, and the healing process she and her mother go through to find forgiveness for themselves and one another. As Carolina puzzles her way through a budding relationship with Garrett, the boy next door, her friendship with her best friend deteriorates when Mara moves in on him. In poignant notes to her deceased sister, Carolina reveals her vulnerability, her anger at her father for leaving and taking Madelaine with him, her resentment toward her mother, her personal growth through a difficult year, and her hope for better times to come. She is more than a little angry at her sister for leaving her alone to face her first boyfriend, her first kiss, and her first day of high school. She also displays her own guilt at enjoying things Madelaine will never experience. As the year progresses, Carolina's image of her perfect sister changes and she begins to understand that her father and sibling were not entirely blameless in the family breakup. She also realizes that one shouldn't wait too long to notice the world and the people around you. The story is lightened by wisps of humor as Carolina muddles through difficult moments. This is a finely crafted novel in which Williams's spare, lyrical prose depicts an adolescent blossoming into a thoughtful, caring young woman.
Kit Vaughan, Midlothian Middle School, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
