A Little Wanting Song
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up—Two voices alternate chapters in this aptly titled, lyrical Australian novel of unexpected friendship and self-acceptance. Charlie, a shy and lonely Melbournian, keeps her songwriting private and her thoughts to herself when spending her 16th summer in her grandfather's small town. She's always tried not to notice the snubs from the girl next door, Rose; her boyfriend, Luke; and their friend, Dave, who, Charlie notes, "hangs behind…like the backbeat to a song." This summer, however, Rose is bored and looking for a way to get to the city, and befriending Charlie might be her ticket. And then there's Dave, to Charlie, "a guy worth writing songs about." To readers he is indeed the perfect boy, ideal for a summer romance. Charlie's voice is unforgettable: every page sings with a music-related insight or metaphor: kissing him, "the stars sound like harmonicas." Rose's chapters initially are near-straight dialogue, her blunt locution showcasing her anger and ennui. But as she opens herself up to Charlie, they gain introspection and poetic phraseology: "the sky explodes around the two of us. The world is fat with color." The teens' language is also raw, but totally realistic. Give this incredible, satisfying book to fans of Sarah Dessen, Karen Foxlee, Melina Marchetta, Ellen Wittlinger—actually, give it to any teen girl who longs a little and feels too much—Australian or not.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.