by Jennifer Anne Moses
Genre(s): Realistic Fiction, Girl Drama
Basic Content Information: Five girls in their sophomore years in a New Jersey high school tell their interlocked personal stories in alternative narrative first person view points — each has enough drama to fill a whole TV series: secret boy friend in Paris, contemplating “going all the way,” unfaithful father, therapist mother who tells the private life of her daughter, secret crush over the coach, annoying siblings, shopping addictions, hidden talents, social mishaps and embarrassments, etc. etc. — and all tied with constant obsessions over one’s own and others’ outfits and appearances… Plenty of positive messages mixed with illogical actions and thought processes.
Edition: Netgalley
Pub Date: January 28, 2014
(I’m only recording the bare bone facts about the Young Adult Fiction titles I read in 2014 — Serving on the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee means that I need to be quite cautious in expressing opinions on social media. The safest way is to not express specific reactions publicly. But I’d like to keep reporting the titles I encounter throughout the year. You can always follow the link to Goodreads to see other readers’ reviews.)
Click here for: Goodreads summary and other people’s reviews.
Fairrosa Cyber Library 
I really enjoyed watching the YA fiction discussions last year in Seattle. I was, however, overwhelmed by the number of books on the list. Do you have a limit? Can the committee turn stuff away? Do you think you will be covering more or less titles than for Newbery?
Love the tag – Girl Drama.
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I’ll be going to watch the BFYA meetings this coming weekend. My term does not start until this one is over. So all I’m reading now are just random new YAs. I don’t really know how we will be going about gathering titles to read — I know there is an active online nomination process. I think we’re supposed to read as many as we can — but there ARE fifteen people on the committee. I’ll report more on the process as I have better grasp on it.
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I watched it an the notables quiet a bit last year. The biggest difference between the two was that the BFYA encouraged input from the spectators. The friend I was with had read a number of the books and gave some very articulate insights. My sister, who lives in Portland and new a number of the kids which were brought in, witness the youth analysis. I really liked the transparency with how the committee operated. I did wonder if each member was required to read each book.
Where will Midwinter be next year?
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Midwinter 2015 will be in Chicago.
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