Being a music lover, Songs for a Teenage Nomad caught my eye and I am ever so glad it did! This book will make you laugh out loud in some places and pull out the tissues in others. I just love a book that makes me feel! Sarah Dessen fans are sure to love this beautifully written story by Kim Culbertson. "Inside my dreams sits a song, way back in the shadows. It calls to me, and I wait to know it in the daylight, wanting to pull it like taffy from the haunts of my mind. Somehow, my memories begin with this song. I can’t seem to put an image to it; it’s a memory blurred and swirling, with no shape…"
After moving from town to town, fifteen year old Calle finally feels at home in Andreas Bay, California. She documents her life with a music journal in which she writes down song names and the memories she associates with them. What a unique idea for a book! (And, you get to read an entry at the beginning of each chapter!) Follow Calle through her freshman year of high school as she wonders about her absent father, makes friends, and maybe in falls in love.
Let’s break it down…
Calle
At fifteen, Calle has been through a lot. She doesn’t know her father, she’s been enrolled in various different schools without ever really fitting in, and has to tolerate her mother’s changing habits and personalities.
Sam
A member of the preppy, popular crowd, Sam is a jock who isn’t quite what he seems. You’ll quickly learn that in some situations, appearances aren’t everything. Will Calle be able to find a place in his life?
Cass
An outcast, Cass is a mysterious, lonely character that will constantly have you questioning who she is.
Alyson
Calle’s mother Alyson is incapable of having a healthy relationship with a man. She’s been married four times and lived with numerous other men. Each time a relationship fails, she flips a coin onto a map, packs their belongings, and moves her daughter wherever the coin falls.
RATINGS
Writing Style: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Storyline 9/10
OVERALL 9/10
While this is classified as a young adult novel, it will be loved by all ages. Give Songs for a Teenage Nomad a chance and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
*Kindle Users: Get it here
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!* *Prefer a hard copy? Get it here
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There are so many good young adult novels out there and I hope that the grown-ups don't let that 'YA' categorization keep them from picking up one and trying it. Teenage Nomad is a prime example of some very good reading that shouldn't be pigeonholed on a YA shelf. The concept and the format of this one are original and interesting enough to have made me want to pick it up, and then the story itself drew me in and made me keep reading. My only complaint: a little rushed in wrapping it all up at the end. But then, that is probably part of what makes it a YA piece. Still a good story and characters you care about, all brought together in one well-wrapped package. Thumbs-up! I doubt I would have found this one if you hadn't pointed it out! :)
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