The Fragile Ordinary

April 1, 2018
Intensely shy, 16-year-old Comet Caldwell hates her name: She is nothing like a comet.The white Edinburgh, Scotland, teen hides in her room, writing poetry and reading. Her self-absorbed parents generally ignore her, and at school, she is either bullied or made to feel invisible. When not in school uniform, she expresses her creativity through an eclectic mix of vintage clothes. Comet attends poetry readings but never dares to read her own work. Her friends Vicki, who is of white and black Caribbean descent, and Steph, who is pale and blonde, are fully developed characters who are staunchly loyal and sympathetic. Comet narrates her story in the first person, riddled with self-doubt and fear of real or imagined pitfalls and dangers. Enter the new American boy, Tobias, and everything begins to change in tiny, tentative increments, as with many backward steps, she questions her worthiness of their growing love. Further complications ensue when Tobias' cousin, Stevie, facing devastating problems of his own, becomes involved with a dangerous gang, leading to heartbreaking tragedy. Young (The Impossible Vastness of Us, 2017, etc.) understands the young lovers and describes their physical relationship gently and tenderly. Events twist and turn, revealing much about the multilayered realities of modern teens. Readers will sometimes be frustrated with Comet, but they will also laugh and cry with her and cheer her on.A powerful roller-coaster ride of emotions and self-awareness. (Fiction. 14-18)

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May 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Comet Caldwell is the least likely heroine she can imagine. She has an estranged relationship with her upper middle class artist parents, and-despite her two best friends' efforts-going to parties causes her anxiety. Comet would rather spend weekends reading books, writing poetry, or walking along the ocean in Portobello, the coastal suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, where she lives. That all changes when she is assigned to work with Tobias King, the brilliant new kid from the U.S. who hates school and who couldn't be any more unlike her. As she spends more time with Tobias and with his cousin, Stevie, she learns about Tobias's troubled past, and about Stevie's difficult, working class circumstances. But as Comet and Tobias fall hard for each other, everything else seems to fall apart. Stevie falls in line with drug dealers, and the couple faces jealousy at school. This deeply imagined story with its fully developed cast of characters invites readers to examine their own lives and relationships as they root for Comet and her friends. VERDICT Buy it for any teen fiction section; suggested for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jandy Nelson.-Erica Ruscio, Rockport Public Library, MA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 At 17, writing poetry is Comet Caldwell's passion, but she never shares it for fear of rejection. When Tobias King, a new student from America, shows up at school, he's brash, insolent, and hangs with Stevie Macdonald and the bad-boy crowd. However, when paired for an assigned presentation, Comet slowly discovers the secrets that brought Tobias to Scotland. As Tobias and Comet begin spending all their time together, Stevie and company publicly bully her with vile and vulgar taunts. Yet, together, she and Tobias make the commitment to move forward, giving Comet some much-needed confidence. But when tragedy strikes, Comet's relationship with Tobias shatters, and she is left to make challenging decisions about her future. Comet's personal struggles and unique voice will strike a crucial chord with readers who find it difficult to deal with their own self-doubts and desire for validation. Young understands teen turmoil and writes with sensitivity, honesty, and respect. This coming-of-age story will shatter the reader's heart, restore it, and bring it to the brink of breaking again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)