The Start of Me and You

Gr 7 Up—Aspiring screenwriter Paige Hancock is determined to redefine herself one year after her boyfriend, Aaron, drowned. Paige creates a checklist of tasks that she intends to accomplish during her junior year to finally shake off the label of "the girl whose boyfriend drowned" in small-town Oakhurst, Indiana. With the support of a solid core of best friends, Paige succeeds in her "plan to become normal again." The crew also helps her recover from the devastating loss of her beloved and supportive grandmother and to cope with her divorced parents dating each other. She also finds a budding romance in an unexpected place—with Max Watson, nerdy cousin of heartthrob Ryan Chase. The positive and healthy relationships in the novel—between Paige and her friends, Paige and her parents, and Paige and Max—provide subtle modeling for young adults, while still remaining believable and not coming off as preachy. In sharp contrast to darker, more issue-driven YA books, this title keeps truer to the problems that most teens face. The protagonist's upbeat attitude will inspire readers to persevere even during the low points in life.—Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT