Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of Gae Polisner's upcoming novel, Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me.  As I am sure you know, I am a huge fan of Gae and her work.  She has written some incredible stuff, and this story is no different.

JL Markham, 15 years old, has her whole life in front of her.  But these first 15 have not always been easy.  Her once unbreakable friendship with Aubrey has fallen apart, her father has been in California for work for way longer than he was supposed to, and her mom is suffering from a sometimes debilitating mental illness in his absence.  The bright spot in her life is Max Gordon, her nineteen-year-old boyfriend.  A senior at 19, Max is often misjudged, but JL feels like she knows the real Max, a kindhearted, smart, and well-read kid.  But Max is graduating and he is leaving for California.  JL now has to decide if she is going with him.  With her dad already there, her mom spiraling deeper into her illness, and no real relationship with Aubrey, what does she have keeping her home?  JL must figure out who she is and what she wants out of this life.  And in the end she may discover she isn't as fragile as she once believed she was.

Gae Polisner has given us a beautiful coming of age story about friendship, love, self-discovery, and probably most important, resilience.   In JL's character, we have a young girl who is trying to navigate a world where she has lost her closest friend, but has also fallen in love for the first time.  A girl trying to find a balance between her boyfriend and her crumbling family.  A girl who discovers the strength that has been hiding deep inside.  We see a character who eventually realizes that she can withstand much more than she ever thought possible.  I think this is a story that will stick with the reader long after the last page has been turned. 

From Amazon:

"Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is an absolutely real, raw and emotional read, and it's a book that touched my heart with every page." - Katie McGarry, critically acclaimed author of Only a Breath Apart

Fifteen-year-old JL Markham’s life used to be filled with carnival nights and hot summer days spent giggling with her forever best friend Aubrey about their families and boys. Together, they were unstoppable. But they aren’t the friends they once were.

With JL’s father gone on long term business, and her mother suffering from dissociative disorder, JL takes solace in the tropical butterflies she raises, and in her new, older boyfriend, Max Gordon. Max may be rough on the outside, but he has the soul of a poet (something Aubrey will never understand). Only, Max is about to graduate, and he's going to hit the road - with or without JL.

JL can't bear being left behind again. But what if devoting herself to Max not only means betraying her parents, but permanently losing the love of her best friend? What becomes of loyalty, when no one is loyal to you?

Gae Polisner’s Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is a story about the fragility of female friendship, of falling in love and wondering if you are ready for more, and of the glimmers of hope we find by taking stock in ourselves.

The Benefits of Being an Ocotpus by Ann Braden

Zoey is a middle-schooler who has more on her plate than any 12 year old should.  She is taking care of her three young siblings while her mom works as a waitress at the Pizza Pit.  They may not have much, but they have a roof over their heads thanks to Lenny, mom's newest boyfriend.  As Zoey begins to slowly come out of her shell at school, she starts to find her voice and take action.  She no longer wants to see her mom abused by Lenny, even if he does give them a place to stay.  And when her best friend Fuchsia needs her, Zoey is there for her.  She learns that just below the surface is a strength that we all have that allows us to do what is right in the face of adversity. 

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden was a wonderful novel dealing with the difficulties of poverty, the effects of domestic violence, and most importantly finding your voice and strength when things are hard.  It is a story about finding that strength that lives just below the surface, the strength to do what is right, even when it is the hardest thing in the world to do.  

From Amazon:

NPR Best Book of 2018, Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019, Named to the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher List, Maine's Student Book Award List, Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award List, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award 2020 List, 2020 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee

Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do.

Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?

This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

I was fortunate enough to do another review for ALAN Picks.  The following is my review of Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson:


After the death of their older brother, Adam Moynihan and his brother Jeremy find themselves dealing with not only that loss, but also the separation of their parents.  Their mom and dad couldn’t deal with the grief associated with Greg’s death and have decided to deal with it separately.  Now Adam is staying with his dad every other weekend and he isn’t pleased.  But when he visits his dad’s apartment for the first time, he meets Jolene, a girl who is also on the every other weekend plan with her dad.  Jolene is witty, spunky, creative, and passionate, but unfortunately is stuck in the middle of a nasty relationship between her parents.  But Adam and Jolene have found each other amid the chaos.  Their friendship is sometimes the only thing holding Jolene together as she struggles to find the self confidence to pursue her dream.  As Adam’s family begins to heal, Jolene worries what will happen to her friendship if he is no longer visiting the apartment twice a month.  Through the bond they have built, Adam is able to help her through her worries and save her when she most needs saving.  Can the future they have envisioned have a chance to become reality? 

Every Other Weekend is a beautiful novel about the healing power of friendship and love.  It reminds us that there is someone there for us, even when loneliness seems overwhelming.  It is a novel that will touch the reader’s heart as they navigate the immediate friendship and growing love between Adam and Jolene.  This story will have you wishing for a continued future for these two characters as they deal with the grief and tragedy that these two have already encountered.  And most importantly it will fill the reader with hope in the belief that these two are well on their way to a beautiful life.  
 


From Amazon:

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.

Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.