Piper Perish

Piper Perish

by Kayla Cagan

Piper Perish is an artist obsessed with Andy Warhol. She dresses in fantastic styles, inspired by Warhol. She has short silver hair, in tribute to Warhol. And she's determined to go to art school in New York City and try to live like Warhol.

Piper isn't going to New York alone; she's been planning this dream with her boyfriend Enzo and her best friend Kit for years. But when Enzo breaks up with Piper at a New Year's Eve party their senior year, Piper isn't so sure the dream will happen.

Told in diary entries and doodles, this book is a compelling story about friendship and following dreams. The family dynamic in the book was a little strange and felt unrealistic, but the main storyline really drove the book.

I read this novel in a single sitting. I absolutely could not put it down. It made me feel like a teenager again - being obsessed with an artistic person (mine was Steven Tyler - I wanted to BE him! Don't laugh! Ok, you can laugh), being so confident in your passion, feeling like the world is your oyster. This book is so inspirational, and I've already recommended it to several teens at my library. I think it's an important book for adults to read, too - never forget your passion!

10 Things I Can See From Here

10 Things I Can See From Here

by Carrie Mac

Publication Date: February 28, 2017

Maeve deals with extreme anxiety, and it doesn't help that her mom is traveling to Haiti and sending Maeve to live with her father for six months. Her father who is a recovering alcoholic, and whose wife is seven months pregnant and planning a home birth - Maeve can't even begin to list all of the possible problems with that situation! Maeve's life seems to be spiraling out of control little by little, getting derailed by things that might not necessarily throw anyone else off track.

When Maeve meets Salix, she's nervous, but ready for her first real relationship with a girl. But then again, Salix is another person for Maeve for worry about while she struggles to balance her family's other problems.

This book was very engaging and easy to read - I finished it in two sitings because I couldn't put it down. Even now, the characters keep popping into my mind. They are all very realistic and well-rounded. No one is "good"" or "bad" - everyone is flawed, and Mac addresses this wonderfully. I especially loved that Maeve's family is supportive of her orientation, which is nice (and unfortunately rare) to see represented in young adult fiction. 

My only problem with this book is something of a backhanded compliment - it ended too soon. I would have loved to see more of the characters, but also I feel like the serious, important part of the story is yet to come. It is said over and over that Maeve is only staying with her father for six months, but she is embarking on her first serious relationship and growing closer to her family and neighbors, especially when compared with the isolated life she and her mother seemed to lead in another town. I think this novel had great character development, but they weren't necessarily thrown into the fire as I would have liked to see.