No and Me
Winner of the 2008 Prix de Libraries (Booksellers’ Prize), this moving French import begins when 13-year-old Lou, a ferociously shy and intelligent Parisian, declares an unusual class project: “I’m going to follow the journey of a homeless girl.” Her teacher’s enthusiasm forces Lou to follow her idea through, and in a train station she meets 18-year-old No. Lou feels like an outsider even at home, where “sadness clings to the walls” after her baby sister’s sudden death and her mother’s subsequent breakdown. With No she finds a surprising, true friendship, and she convinces her parents to allow No to move in. Writing in Lou’s strong, convincing voice, de Vigan poses the largest existential questions about meaning, purpose, and the possibilities and limits of saving another life. Subtle, authentic details; memorable characters (including Lou’s older friend, Lucas); and realistic ambiguities in each scene ground the story’s weighty themes, and teens will easily recognize Lou’s fragile shifts between heartbreak, bitter disillusionment, and quiet, miraculous hope. Grades 8-11. --Gillian Engberg