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282 pp.
| HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
| April, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-243459-3$17.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-06-243462-3
(3)
YA
Sisters Gem and Dixie take an impromptu trip into Seattle after their long-absent father returns with promises of improvement...then shadily stashes a backpack full of cash in their room. Their whirlwind trip becomes a relationship test, forcing Gem to consider her future separate from her little sister. Zarr draws complex, troubled relationships--and the flawed yet striving people in them--with care and nuance.
309 pp.
| Little
| May, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-20501-6$17.99
(2)
YA
When sixteen-year-old Lucy impulsively quits an international piano competition, she jettisons a deeply-held family tradition, a lifestyle, and her career as a concert pianist. The novel's strength is Zarr's unflinching attention to the gray areas in Lucy's life, where adults are fallible, decisions are reversible, and passions can guide you forward or lead you astray.
Reviewer: Julia Tyler
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2013
281 pp.
| Little
| December, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-21749-1$18.00
(3)
YA
Jersey girl Elizabeth (EB) and San Franciscan Lauren, soon to be college roommates, correspond throughout the summer; chapters with alternating perspectives unwrap each girl's backstory, personality, and coming-to-terms with changes looming on the horizon. The premise will have mass appeal with teens who fantasize about their post-high-school futures, and the authors succeed in presenting two distinct and relatable narrative voices.
343 pp.
| Little
| October, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-03606-1$17.99
(2)
YA
Pregnant eighteen-year-old Mandy agrees to live in the home of the woman, Robin, who is adopting her baby. Robin's daughter Jill hates the idea, still grieving her father’s death. Mandy and Jill's distinct voices tell their intertwined stories. The girls' growth is made realistic through small inroads and slow progress. The depth of characterization is exceptional in this rewarding read.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2012
218 pp.
| Little
| October, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-03604-7$16.99
(2)
YA
Zarr illuminates both the big questions and intimate challenges of being a "preacher's kid." Sam, fifteen, experiences a crisis of faith when her mother enters rehab. Then comes the real crisis: thirteen-year-old Jody, a member of the church youth group, disappears. Zarr navigates the ripped-from-the-headlines topic with empathy and delicacy, offering a believable portrait of small-town dynamics while creating deftly realized characters.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2010
217 pp.
| Little
| April, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-01455-7$16.99
(2)
YA
Outcast Jennifer remakes herself into stylish "Jenna." When her childhood pal, Cameron, reappears, Jenna's past and present become inextricable. The friends reconnect with a natural, bittersweet intimacy that tugs at the heartstrings as Jenna comes to terms with her secrets and insecurities. It's a process many teens will relate to, amplified here with wistful prose and skillfully layered characters.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2008
192 pp.
| Little
| January, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-01453-3$16.99
(3)
YA
At thirteen, Deanna is caught by her father having sex with Tommy, a seventeen-year-old. Three years later, Deanna's peers still whisper about her reputation, and her father hardly speaks to her. Deanna desperately struggles to escape her past, despite sometimes missing the way Tommy made her feel wanted. Deanna's motivations to have sex, and the consequences, are thoughtfully, honestly, and convincingly explored.