On the Edge (Page 6)

Haunting, painful, and intense – if I only had 3 words to sum up Ibi Kaslik’s YA novel, Skinny, those would be the ones I would choose. Giselle is the 22-year-old medical student whose troubled relationship with her late father has plagued her for years and has manifested itself in anorexia; 14-year-old Holly, a middle school student and Giselle’s younger sister, finds solace in running, but even that isn’t enough to help her as she watches her sister spiral out of control and tries to cope with her own anxieties about growing up.   The sisters alternate in narrating the story after Giselle has been released from aRead More →

Eireann Corrigan’s novel in verse, Splintering, tells the story of a family whose suburban life is shattered after a home invasion.  While visiting their oldest daughter, Mimi, in the city after her husband left her, a man, high on drugs, breaks into the house.  Dad has a heart attack while fighting him off, brother Jeremy flees to the basement, and mom, 15 year old daughter Paulie and Mimi retreat upstairs until the man breaks down the door and attacks them.  Fortunately, no one dies, but the aftermath unravels the family as each of them deal with the event in their own tortured way. Fierce, angry Paulie and her olderRead More →

13 year old Kyra has grown up in an isolated desert compound, living in a mobile home with her mother and siblings. Her father spends every third week with her mother, since he has 2 other wives in nearby trailers with a total of 20 children.  Everyone in this compound is devoted to Prophet Childs.  They’ve rejected the outside world, technology, and burned their books; they believe through obedience to the Prophet, plural marriage and the abundant production of children they can achieve a place in Heaven. Kyra doesn’t question this life much – she loves her family and feels safe in their compound –Read More →