Cover Reveal: Goddess Tithe by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Here’s a peek at the gorgeous cover of the next book in the wonderful Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. The cover image is accompanied by the back cover copy below:

The Vengeful Goddess

Demands Her Tithe

When a stowaway is discovered aboard the merchant ship Kulap Kanya, Munny, a cabin boy on his first voyage, knows what must be done. All stowaways are sacrificed to Risafeth, the evil goddess of the sea. Such is her right, and the Kulap Kanya’s only hope to return safely home.

Yet, to the horror of his crew, Captain Sunan vows to protect the stowaway, a foreigner in clown’s garb. A curse falls upon the ship and all who sail with her, for Risafeth will stop at nothing to claim her tithe.

Will Munny find the courage to trust his captain and to protect the strange clown who has become his friend?

Anne Elisabeth Stengl talks about the beautiful cover:

I had the fun of designing this cover—finding reference photos, inventing the composition, applying the text, etc.—but the actual artistic work was done by talented cover artist Phatpuppy (www.phatpuppyart.com), whose work I have admired for many years. It was such a thrill for me to contact and commission this artist to create a look for Goddess Tithe that is reminiscent of the original novels but has a style and drama all its own.

The boy on the front was quite a find. I hunted high and low for an image of a boy the right age, the right look, with the right expression on his face. Phatpuppy and I worked with a different model through most of the cover development stage. But then I happened upon this image, and both she and I were delighted with his blend of youth, stubbornness, and strength of character! It wasn’t difficult to switch the original boy for this young man. He simply is Munny, and this cover is a perfect window into the world of my story.

You can’t see it here, but the wrap-around back cover for the print copy contains some of the prettiest work . . . including quite a scary sea monster! Possibly my favorite detail is the inclusion of the ghostly white flowers framing the outer edge. These are an important symbol in the story itself, and when Phatpuppy sent me the first mock-up cover with these included, I nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement!

Goddess Tithe Illustration by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

About the Illustration by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

There are eight full-page illustrations in Goddess Tithe featuring various characters and events from the story. This is the first one in the book. I decided to share it with all of you since it depicts my young hero, Munny the cabin boy, under the watchful eye of his mentor, the old sailor Tu Pich. Munny is on his first voyage, and he is determined to learn all there is to know about a life at sea as quickly as possible. Thus we see him utterly intent upon the knot he is learning to tie. Tu Pich is old enough to know that no sailor will ever learn all there is to know about the sea. Thus he looks on, grave, caring, and perhaps a little sad. He might be looking upon his own younger self of many years ago, fumbling through the hundreds of difficult knots his fingers must learn to tie with unconscious ease.
I enjoyed creating all the illustrations for Goddess Tithe, but this one was my favorite. I love the contrasts of light and dark, the contrasts of young and old . . . youthful intensity versus the perspective of age.

About the Author

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of the Tales of Goldstone Wood, including Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood, Starflower, and Dragonwitch. Heartless and Veiled Rose have each been honored with a Christy Award, and Starflower was voted winner of the 2013 Clive Staples Award.

Giveaway:

Visit Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s blog to enter for a chance to win one of two proof copies of Goddess Tithe! U.S. and Canada only, please.

 

Book Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, Inc

Premonitions and warnings about the future have always been a part of Blue Sargent’s life in her small home shared by several psychic women. It’s why she stays away from boys: the first boy she kisses will die, according to the predictions of the clairvoyant group.

Staying away from them has never been difficult for Blue. Especially staying away from the over-privileged boys of the Aglionby school. That is, until an unexpected vision on St. Mark’s Eve and a forgotten journal pull Blue into a dangerous and mesmerizing quest led by one of Aglionby’s finest students.

Though she is at first repelled by Gansey’s flippant attitude about money, something deeper flashes beneath the carelessness and bravado, and Blue can’t help but be captivated by that Gansey.

If only she can find a way to keep him from dying.

Filled with memorable characters and fresh wit, The Raven Boys is a wild ride from start to finish. Readers familiar with Stiefvater’s Shiver will find this a much more highly developed work, though toward the end the pet phrase, “for a long moment,” reappears several times. Despite this, it’s difficult to imagine readers beginning this series and not eagerly anticipating the second book, which will release in September 2013.

Language Content
Sparse but severe.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Blue’s mother and her friends use psychic ability to make their living and to predict what will happen in Blue’s life and the lives of her friends. Much of the story centers around belief in these abilities and in magic, spirits and rituals. Blue and her friends befriend a ghost and help him maintain a presence. Blue is gifted with the ability to strengthen psychic energy.

Violence
Two brothers engage in a brief fist-fight. One boy suffers physical abuse at the hands of his father, and another boy defends him. The scene is brief. A man is trampled to death, but no details are given of the event. A woman plans to murder a man as part of a ritual. Characters fight over possession of a gun in two different scenes.

Drug Content
One of the boys has a tendency to drink alcohol and get into trouble. It’s not really featured in any scenes.

 

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

Sixteen-year-old Hazel has lived the roller coaster ride of a terminal cancer diagnosis for the last three years. Now, each breath comes with a price, and she cannot go anywhere without a small portable oxygen tank in tow. Meds prevent the tumors from growing, for now.

At a weekly support group, she listens to tales of other teens fiercely battling cancer. Listens but remains apart, until the unexpected entrance of Augustus Waters.

Augustus draws Hazel out of her self-imposed seclusion with his unflappable visionary nature. He is in many ways the opposite of the quiet, brooding Hazel, and her perfect foil. As the two begin to know each other, they swap favorite novels, and Augustus falls headfirst in love with Hazel’s pick, a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. As the two discuss the book, its philosophical brilliance and painfully tantalizing unanswered questions, their bond deepens.

Terrified of causing the destructive grief that must result from falling in love with someone with a terminal diagnosis, Hazel pulls away from Augustus. He pursues her relentlessly, even spending his wish from a cancer organization to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet the author of her favorite novel (seriously, what literary lover can resist this kind of wooing? Talk about big guns.)

Amsterdam is everything and nothing Hazel could have hoped for: her dreams dashed and come true at the same time. In response, she must decide how to live her life and what she believes about herself, others, and eternity in the face of faithlessness on the part of humanity and the universe.

John Green has proved his valor as a writer worthy of tackling the deep emotional and cosmic issues with earlier novels, but this novel may yet be his most incredible work. This novel tackles the big human questions about life, love, and loss, exploring at once what they mean and how one responds to them. All this and yet the story remains poignant and breathtaking and sometimes quite hilarious. And tragic. This is another one to read with tissues handy.

Also worthy of note: The Fault in Our Stars the movie will hit the big screen in 2014.

Language Content
Infrequent but extreme.

Sexual Content
Main characters watch a young couple kiss and briefly fondle over clothing. One scene (without graphic detail) implies that the characters have sex.

Spiritual Content
As the characters face the reality of their diagnoses, they wonder about and discuss what happens after death. Hazel does not believe in God or heaven. Augustus believes in a more nebulous Something beyond.

Violence
While this isn’t violent content, it is only fair to mention that there are some heavy descriptions of different medical treatments and their side effects as well as the dying process. These are critical elements to the story, but some sensitive readers may find them too intense.

Drug Content
Augustus has an unusual habit of hanging a cigarette from his mouth which he never lights, but instead revels in the metaphoric significance of this action. Gus and Hazel sip champagne over a fancy dinner. Hazel and Augustus undergo various cancer treatments involving different types of medications.

 

Book Review: Me, an Old Pilot and a Three-Legged Dog by Rocky Morrisette

Me, an Old Pilot and a Three-Legged Dog

Rocky Morrisette

Just before her sixteenth birthday, Summer Rose is sent from her Salt Lake City home to live with her grandfather in the Alaskan wilderness. As she adjusts to the many beauties and dangers of her new surroundings, she learns about the destructive power of volcanic ash, the joy of a dip in a warm mountain spring, and the bitter unpredictability of the Alaskan weather and what that can mean for those trapped within it.

While Summer Rose maintains her can-do attitude throughout the novel, she often finds herself assisting older, more experienced men, like her uncle and grandfather. While they praise her efforts, they also spend a lot of time schooling her on history, science, politics and other topics. In one scene it is her beloved uncle who combs the knots out of her hair for her. Though Summer Rose is described as a physically well-developed sixteen-year-old girl, she often behaves as a much younger child, both in her temperament and emotional maturity. Her feelings are transitory and lack the complication and depth one would expect to see in a teen novel. Some of the pop culture references are also a little dated, referencing styles or movies from the 1980s or 1990s.

Despite the character issues, readers longing for a glimpse of the Alaskan frontier and tales of its splendor will enjoy the descriptions of its marvels.

Language Content
Infrequent but extreme.

Sexual Content
Summer Rose and her friends go on a hiking/sunbathing trek together. During the hike, many of the girls disrobe and continue hiking topless. At the springs, several remove all clothing. Later, an older man gropes Summer Rose while she’s trying to reach a pair of sunglasses. She doesn’t say anything about the experience to her grandfather or uncle, both of whom were waiting outside for her, but readers learn later, in kind of an “oh, by the way,” moment, that she called the police about it and filed a report while her grandfather was gone.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Summer Rose helps her uncle treat several dogs injured in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. The descriptions of injuries are pretty matter-of-fact, coming mostly from information her uncle relays to her.

Later, Summer Rose and her grandfather are trapped on the shore of a lake and must survive the night with various injuries and hypothermia. Apparently a bear attacks her grandfather’s faithful dog, but the attack happens off-scene, and isn’t discovered until much later.

Drug Content
None.

 

Book Review: Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk

Glass Girl

Laura Anderson Kurk

On a day that began like any other, Meg’s brother Wyatt dies. Suddenly. Violently. Leaving Meg and her parents to creep around the shrapnel and gaping wounds of their grief. In a pitch to create some space for healing, Meg’s dad moves them all from their Pittsburgh home to the wilds of Chapin, Wyoming. In a new home scrubbed of memories, Meg tries to create a new life, one that does not include the story of her brother’s death and the pity which must come as a response. She lands a new part time job and falls in with new friends. When a rugged, handsome cowboy begins to pursue her, Meg puts on her best face, burying her tragic past and her mother’s spiraling depression beneath a determined exterior.

Henry is patient, but he senses something isn’t right and urges Meg to open up to him. But how can a perfect boy from a perfect family understand what Meg and her parents are going through? Meg’s parents’ marriage crumbles around her, but she fights to keep a brave face, biting back the angry words she wants to shout at her mother and keeping even Henry at a distance. Rumors about a relationship between Henry and a blond girl swirl through town, and dark-haired Meg isn’t sure what to think. As she wrestles with her grief and whether to trust Henry, more rumors swirl, and Meg must face her town and her sadness anew as word about Wyatt’s death spreads across Chapin.

Glass Girl is a beautiful story of a girl who has lost not only her brother but faces the terrible toll grief has taken on her family. Meg’s emotions are vivid and gripping, as are the relationships she has with each of her parents and friends. The rugged Wyoming countryside provides the perfect backdrop for both the tumultuous feel of the emotional story and the golden-hearted cowboy who teaches Meg about courage, compassion and mercy. This is a novel that demands to be finished once it is begun. Tissues are a must.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
References to teen couples making out. Main characters treat each other with honor and respect, but there’s definitely some high romantic tension.

Spiritual Content
After her brother’s unexpected death, Meg can’t follow a life of faith any longer. She can’t understand how God could exist and allow terrible things to happen. It is less painful to choose to believe He does not exist. Henry’s faith is fervent and rock-solid, though his actions often speak of his values and beliefs much more than his words could.

Violence
Meg’s brother Wyatt was violently killed. Meg suffers brief flashbacks to the event, but no gory details are given, though the scenes are intense.

Drug Content
Some teens indulge in alcoholic beverages at a party. Others smoke pot. Main characters do not condone or participate in these behaviors.

 

Book Review: Scrapbook of My Revolution by Amy Lynn Spitzley

Scrapbook of My Revolution

Amy Lynn Spitzley

Amber knows what it’s like to be noticed for all the wrong reasons. From her golden (literally) skin to her freakish ability to sense others’ feelings, she can’t help but stand out in a crowd. Amber is a member of an emerging super-human group referred to as Maliens, and the rest of humanity isn’t adjusting to them as well as Amber could hope. A highly vocal anti-Malien group calling itself RAMM promotes Malien oppression, even going so far as to reach out to Amber’s school principal.

As events escalate, and riots and attacks on Malien citizens increase, Amber’s fury blazes. She’s out to fight fire with fire, and she and her friends form their own pro-Malien group. Support for Amber’s group swells, and a popular band and a spokesman for the Malien cause rally to help Amber and her friends.

Well, most of her friends. Amber thinks she is just beginning to really see beneath Cam’s withdrawn exterior, but while she senses his interest, a growing frustration colors his feelings for her. Amber fights to keep her Malien cause front and center but welcomes Cam into the spotlight with her. The only problem is, that doesn’t seem like where Cam wants to be. Could he be the wrong guy for her? Maybe despite her elusive distrust for him, the dashing Malien hero Jonny Marino is more Amber’s speed after all.

Amber struggles to piece together where she belongs and her passion for her people, but everything changes when she suffers a personal attack. And as the political climate continues to heat, she will learn that not all those she counts as friends truly deserve the title.

Told as a series of journal entries peppered with emails, receipts, and other various paraphernalia, Spitzley brings readers a story of racism and explores issues of basic human rights through the voice of a passionate, intelligent young girl who bears the difficult burden of sensing the emotions of those around her. The clever pairing of skin tone and ability set this story apart from some of the other classic “super-human” tales and heightens its focus on civil rights and social issues. While readers may tire of the repetitive phrasing used to describe the ever-present emotions swirling through those around Amber, Spitzley reveals both the joys and traumas of having a constant window into the feelings of others in proximity. At first Amber appears to be a headstrong, sometimes rebellious teen, but through her pursuit of her cause, she learns that responsibility comes with leadership and grownups aren’t always the dopes they seemed to be.

Language Content
Moderate.

Sexual Content
Kissing/Making out. In a couple of scenes, girls are attacked and fondled briefly. In one instance, a few graphic details are given. Some of Amber’s friends and schoolmates make sexual comments about her or each other.

Spiritual Content
The spiritual ramifications of humanity’s possible evolution are not deeply explored.

Violence
Amber lives in a world which terrorizes its Malian citizens. While few scenes provide details, we know attacks on Malian people are common, providing a means for the exploration of civil rights and equality issues.

Drug Content
Some teens drink alcohol at parties or at school. Amber condemns this behavior, though she doesn’t openly confront it until late in the story.

 

Book Review: Visited by Janine Caldwell

Visited

Janine Caldwell

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Seventeen-year-old Joanna Murphy is all set to being a glorious senior year, one that will climax with the realization of her dream vacation: a backpacking trip through Europe with her mom. That is, until Mom and step-dad Stan drop the baby bombshell. Joanna rages at her mother’s starry-eyed ignorance, crushed that the trip is now canceled and her senior year will now be all about the new baby. Stan has already crowded the quiet home, and once the new baby arrives, how much time will Mom have left for Joanna?

Retreating to her special place, Joanna climbs out to the rooftop of the two-story desert home, wishing her life were different. When a falling star changes course and bolts directly toward her, Joanna loses her balance and tumbles down the rooftop. She wakes in the hospital, miraculously alive and unhurt, but her life doesn’t seem spared any damage. Mom greets her, but there’s no Stan, no pregnancy, and never was as far as Joanna can tell. What does this mean?

As Joanna flounders, trying desperately to understand why things are suddenly different than she remembers before the fall, a mysterious boy approaches her with an important clue: he rescued her after the fall and healed her body.

To sci-fi geek Joanna, this is the best news ever! It wasn’t a shooting star she saw, but instead an alien. How awesome is that? Her very own visitor from outer space. Her new friend, who calls himself James, warns Joanna that he has been sent to earth on an important mission, one which will be opposed by a dangerous enemy. Joanna promises to keep James’s mission and his true nature a secret, but she can scarcely contain her excitement.

As senior year begins, Joanna continues to find pieces of her life missing or out of place. No more volleyball? Ouch. And she has the boyfriend of her dreams?! Awesome! Only, why is that not as easy as it once seemed it would be?

A determined Joanna wrestles to understand and accept this new life, but the changes continue to spiral around her. Her mother plunges into depression borne out of her loneliness, and Joanna realizes maybe she’d been selfish to resent Stan’s presence in her life so much. But how can she return her life to the state it was before?

Finally, Joanna confesses her feelings to James and he reveals the truth of his mission to her. It is a truth Joanna never expected to encounter, and one which changes everything.

Language Content
Mild and infrequent.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content (Spoiler Alert)
James has a mission to save Joanna. A sci-fi fan and subscriber to the hope that life exists on other planets, Joanna believes he is an alien who has come to visit earth. She discovers he has been sent not by aliens but by God to inform her of his existence and convince her of the benevolence of his plan for her life.

Violence
James and his enemy engage in some sort of battle which mostly happens off-scene. No graphic details.

Drug Content
Joanna discovers several empty wine bottles and a bottle of pills left behind by her mother. Mom appears intoxicated and in need of medical attention.

 

Book Review: Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach

Finding Angel

Kat Heckenbach

Splashdown Books

Angel Mason can’t remember anything about her life before she was about seven years old. Fractured memories linger: a terrible forest fire and a cruel man. She remembers nothing about her parents or where she belongs.

She has grown up in a loving foster family, but an inexplicable longing refuses to leave her alone. If only magic were real. She tries to dismiss the idea as silly, and the result of reading too many fantasy novels. When a mysterious boy turns out to be more than he seems, Angel must choose between her life with the Masons and her forgotten past.

As Angel dives into her new world, she begins to recover more pieces of memory. If she continues to push for the pieces, perhaps she will discover the memory she wants most of all: to see her mother’s face.

But Dawric, the villain who took all that away from Angel lurks out there somewhere, and a prophecy foretells he will return to finish Angel once and for all. Hidden in her homeland, Angel learns more about her past and the magic she possesses. Will she learn to use her Talent in time to stop Dawric from destroying all she holds dear?

Angel’s curiosity and love for others is endearing as is her cousin Gregor’s bravery and protectiveness. Heckenbach creates a magical story in her enchanting world of Toch Island, a place veiled by magic so that only those with magical ability can find it. Finding Angel is filled with noble virtue and memorable characters both human and animal. While the climax may stretch the reader’s willing suspension of belief, (even the hero calls out the villain on his conflicting arguments) the story’s true power is in its virtue: honor and justice.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Brief scenes in which animals are harmed. Few graphic details. A man is swallowed by fire and earth.

Drug Content
None.

 

Book Review and Giveaway: Victoria and the Ghost by Janet K Brown

Victoria and the Ghost

Janet K. Brown

4RV Publishing

As if her parents’ ugly divorce wasn’t bad enough, fifteen-year-old Victoria Peterson is yanked away from her whole world in Dallas and plopped down on a rundown farm in a teeny tiny north Texas town. No more good friends a few minutes away, no more fancy city life, and no more Mom nearby to dry her tears. Her older sister Marcy seems to be settling in fine, but the only friend Victoria has been able to find is as fickle as the Texas wind. Victoria retreats to the beautiful cemetery garden for solitude, but even there her peace is disturbed by strange happenings. A mysterious voice. Objects disappearing. Town rumor says a ghost inhabits the grave yard. As a Believer, Victoria isn’t sure what to make of that, but she can’t deny that something strange is occurring. As she meets others who’ve had similar experiences in the grave yard, she begins tenuous bonds with the townspeople.

Of course, it’s all temporary. Once Mom gets back from her month-long honeymoon, she’ll call wanting the girls to come and live with her. Then it’s back to the city and all her friends for Victoria. No more of this awful country stuff. As days tick past and the call doesn’t come, Victoria begins to wonder if her mother will come through at all. She’s always been Mom’s favorite. Why is it taking so long for her to reach her?

When Mom finally calls, she invites both the girls for a visit. When Marcy and Victoria arrive at their mother’s new mansion home, neither is prepared for the venomous surprise that awaits them in the form of their new step-sister, Crystal. Rude and manipulative, Crystal is determined to be queen of the castle, and she’s not leaving room for anyone else. Mom and her new husband Sam seem oblivious to Crystal’s conniving ways. Rejected and discouraged, Victoria returns to her dad’s farm. How will she ever get out of the country now?

A health crisis and a threatening letter send Victoria’s world deeper into a spiral. Only by banding together and accepting help from others can she ever hope to survive, especially with her mother being so distant. Victoria must learn to accept life and those around her as is, but how can she learn to trust anyone when she is let down at every turn?

Divorce is one of the most difficult events a child can be asked to overcome. As Victoria struggles to make sense of both her parents’ behavior, she often feels sad and unwanted and cannot understand why her parents act as they do. As she learns about forming new relationships with others, she reflects on the relationships with her parents and begins to see their behavior in a new way. Perhaps Dad is really grieving; maybe Mom feels rejected. She also learns the value of forgiveness and community. Author Janet K Brown draws readers in to the small Texas town, filled with western-style characters and close-knit community feel. In a few places, the narrative seems to zoom out, telling readers what Victoria really means or is experiencing, more often it feels true to the teen experience. Readers who’ve experienced a difficult move to a new place or been through a family divorce will enjoy this story and its messages of hope and healing.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters discuss living a life of Christian love and forgiveness. Victoria wonders whether ghosts exist, a question echoed by others in her life. Characters conclude that God can do anything, even use a ghost for his purposes.

Violence
References to an arson plot. A boy shows up at a party looking like he’s been in a fight.

Drug Content
Some kids appear to be drinking alcohol at a party. They are not welcome, and the main character does not associate with them.

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Book Review: The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill

The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet

Stephanie Morrill

Playlist Fiction

Some girls have it all in high school: great friends, perfect hair, the hottest boyfriend. Not sixteen-year-old Ellie Sweet. Next to her gorgeous long-time friend Lucy, Ellie is practically invisible. Everything about Ellie is hidden, from the frizzy hair she tries desperately to control in a knot to her secret passion to finish her novel set in medieval Italy. By day she may be invisible, but by night, all her frustrations and hurts are rewritten into a world where she, Lady Gabrielle, is the star. Only there does the handsome boy of her dreams (Palmer by day, Rafe by night) see her for who she is.

But when the local bad-boy reveals Ellie’s secret crush to an entire classroom of students, Ellie has to know why. Chase’s stubborn refusal to explain only adds fuel to Ellie’s frustration and earns him a write-in as the villainous prince in her manuscript.

As Chase pursues Ellie with attentive gifts, she wrestles with the rumors surrounding him and his family. With two older brothers already in jail, Chase is hardly meet-the-parents material. But they can be friends, right? Palmer doesn’t seem to think that’s such a good idea for Ellie. In fact, he wants to date Ellie himself, but only in secret.

With Palmer professing adoration, and her finished manuscript receiving praise from within the writing world, Ellie is over the moon. When the details of her novel come out publicly, however, not everyone is thrilled with the part Ellie has written them into. As Ellie scrambles to undo the damage, she realizes once and for all who her real friends are and the value of being loved and valued for who one really is.

This is a novel that is easy to love, full of the joys and disappointments of high school and teen romance. Morrill writes witty narrative with perky humor and great emotional depth, drawing readers into the very heart of this tale about a girl who feels totally invisible and the boy who truly sees her. This is the perfect read for an aspiring writer and a highly encouraging story for anyone who has experienced feeling overlooked or undervalued. Fans of Morrill’s earlier series The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt will not be disappointed. (See the review of Me, Just Different, the first book in the series, here.)

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A couple kissing scenes. References to the fact that other characters have been sexually active.

Spiritual Content
Ellie desires to live a virtuous life and refuses to indulge in alcohol or sex, despite the fact that her friends have begun to do so. She struggles with the realization that her spiritual life has become somewhat rote and recognizes that there is more to being a Believer than following a bunch of rules, but this isn’t deeply explored.

Violence
References to a fist-fight that happened off-scene.

Drug Content
While at a party, a boy drinks too much alcohol and passes out. Ellie is asked to pick him up and get him home safely. Someone receives a DUI.

A Deeper Look: Notes from the Blogger

Ellie is the kind of girl I would have been friends with in high school. I loved her wit, and her awkward yet hilarious self-consciousness endeared me to her almost immediately. Beyond the lighthearted day-in-the-life antics of a young high school student lurks a brave look at the challenges of navigating relationships and realizing that those we are drawn to aren’t always the ones best for us. Tissues may be warranted, and the willing reader may find God speaking between the lines of this charming and candid story.