Kiss the Morning Star
Gr 9 Up–Inspired by Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, 17-year-old Anna and her friend Kat set out from Minnesota for points unknown with only the book and their sense of adventure as their guides. Each girl has her own reasons for embarking on this journey. Anna is still recovering from the death of her mother and she sees the trip as a way to escape the sadness that has consumed her for the past year; Kat not only hopes to awaken their dormant friendship but also to find proof of God’s love–art, people, nature, drugs, church, and sex all make the list of possible evidence. Anna, however, has lost her faith and remains skeptical. From the Black Hills of South Dakota to Gillette, Wyoming, and beyond, the teens are memorable characters, and with each encounter they cross an item off their “God’s Love list.” By journey’s end, it’s their love for and faith in each other that helps both travelers find what they’re looking for. In her debut novel, Hoole crafts a journey of self-discovery about two young women whose complexities add depth and meaning to the story. Anna is both fragile and strong, yet despite these conflicting traits, she comes across as real. Similarly, Kat’s zest for life is in perfect balance to Anna’s cautiousness, and Hoole’s depiction of their differences as well as their similarities makes their friendship even more believable.A solid entry into the coming-of-age canon.–Audrey Sumser,School Library Journal August 2012