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llfLeen-year-old 8lake has a glrlfrlend and a frlend who's a glrl. Cne of Lhem loves hlm, Lhe oLher
one needs hlm. When he snapped a plcLure of a sLreeL person for hls phoLography homework,
8lake never dreamed LhaL Lhe woman ln Lhe phoLo was hls frlend Marlssa's long-losL meLh
addlcLed mom. 8lake's parLlclpaLlon ln Lhe ensulng drama opens up a world of Lrouble, boLh for
hlm and for Marlssa. Pe spends Lhe nexL few monLhs Lrylng Lo reconclle Lhe confllcLlng roles of
8oyfrlend and lrlend. Pls experlences range from Lhe comlc (survlvlng hls dad's blrLh conLrol
Lalk) Lo Lhe Lraglc (a harrowlng afLer-hours vlslL Lo Lhe morgue). ln a Langle of llfe and deaLh, love
and loyalLy, 8lake wlll emerge wlLh a more sharply deflned snapshoL of hlmself.
1he sLory was a cuLe, llghL read. 1he maln characLer 8lake was an lnsLanL hlL wlLh me. Pe was
funny, wlLLy and made Lhe sLory worLh readlng. l en[oyed Lhe parL abouL 8lake Laklng a plcLure
of a homeless woman and havlng lL Lurn ouL Lo be Marlssa's meLh addlcLed moLher. AfLer LhaL
phoLograph, 8lake's llfe changes, he goes Lhrough many sLages and l llked seelng hls
LransformaLlon. l loved L.k.'s wrlLlng sLyle, lL capLured each characLer's personallLy and gave me
a chance Lo know Lhem on a deeper level. 1he book also had a loL of lnLeresLlng lnformaLlon
abouL phoLography whlch was preLLy cool. l now know whaL llash 8urnouL means ln
phoLography, who would of LhoughL l'd learn random Lerms? Cverall, a very cuLe read buL by
Lhe end of Lhe book l felL llke someLhlng was mlsslng. l sLlll have some llngerlng quesLlons and
l'm noL sure lf Lhelr wlll be a sequel. 8uL, l do recommend lL lf you're looklng for a well-paced ?A
book.
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As a ?oung AdulL novel abouL a fourLeen year-old glrl wlLh no frlends oLher Lhan her
lmaglnaLlon, Lhls sLory deflnlLely deserves Lhe award lL recleved. Sym, a fourLeen year-old glrl, ls
obsessed wlLh Lhe AnLarcLlc reglons and Lhe sLory of CapLaln "1lLus" CaLes, an AnLarcLlc explorer
from Lhe 1800s. 8ecause Sym ls soclally awkward, 1lLus has become her consLanL companlon,
fllllng her lmaglnaLlon as he accompanles her everywhere. When Sym's uncle Lakes her Lo
AnLarcLlca, Sym ls Lhrllled. 8uL she'll soon dlscover LhaL Lhlngs are noL always as Lhey seem.

1hls sLory ls a deflnlLe musL-have. lL ls a beauLlful sLory of a young, shy, awkward glrl comlng Lo
Lerms wlLh herself and growlng up. 1he LranslLlon ls gradual, buL by Lhe end of Lhe sLory Lhe
once-nalve Sym has become an lndependenL glrl wlLh a head on her shoulders. 1hls sLory delves
lnLo Sym's lnner LhoughLs, and her lnLeracLlon wlLh 1lLus ls a beauLlful way of showlng her lnner
sLruggles wlLh herself and Lhe way she acLs around oLher people. SenslLlve readers should
beware, however, as Lhe Loplc of sex comes up more Lhan once, and some of Lhe sLronger
language pops up here and Lhere. CLherwlse, Lhe sLory ls absoluLely beauLlful.

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Calogero ls 14 years old and has noL been ln Amerlca long. Pe comes Lo Lhe counLry from Slclly
afLer hls moLher dles, and llves wlLh hls uncles and couslns ln a small Lown deep ln Lhe !lm Crow
SouLh. 1helr successful grocery buslness draws Lhe anger of whlLe buslnessmen, and Lhey flnd
Lhemselves ln a sLrange llmbo beLween Lhe whlLe and black clLlzens of Lhe Lown. Calogero and
hls famlly Lry Lo navlgaLe Lhls "no mans land" only Lo flnd Lhemselves caughL up ln a horrlflc
evenL LhaL changes everyLhlng.

AuLhor uonna !o napoll does a fanLasLlc [ob brlnglng Lo llghL Lhe sLory of lLallan lmmlgranLs ln
Lhe deep !lm Crow SouLh. Many people aren'L aware of Lhe raclsm and hardshlp Lhls group
experlenced, and by exLenslvely researchlng Lhe flve characLers known Lo us as Calogero's
relaLlves and Lhe Lerrlble lncldenL LhaL ended Lhelr llves, she makes Lhe sLorles and sLruggles of
lLallan lmmlgranLs more real.

8eaders wlll love napoll's characLers and Lhe warmLh and llfe she breaLhes lnLo Lhem. 1here ls
Lenslon, flrsL love, Lrlumph, Lragedy, and sadness LhroughouL Lhe sLory, buL Lhere's also a noLe of
reslllence LhaL readers wlll Lake wlLh Lhem. She does a greaL [ob of glvlng Lhe readers characLers
who have depLh, showlng Lhe economlc and culLural fears lnvolved ln raclsm, and noL palnLlng
any one group as all good or all evll.

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