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Took time to head up to the hotel at the top of the hill for Sunday brunch. Now, I am full of so many wonderful flavors, that I believe a nap is coming on soon. So, perhaps I had better blog my other airplane book. TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler (Little Brown, June 2009) is the story of a trio of friends: Frankie and Matt (brother and sister) and next door neighbor, Anna. For years the three have been inseparable. And Anna has kept a secret: she has a huge crush on Matt. On Anna's 15th birthday, she wishes that Matt would notice her, that the two of them could be more than friends. Anna's wish comes true, and she and Matt share clandestine meetings and hurried kisses. Matt wants to wait to tell Frankie about the new relationship and swears Anna to secrecy. Then suddenly Matt is dead from a congenital heart problem. Frankie and her parents plunge deeply into grief and Anna must stand beside them for support in their time of sorrow. Now almost a year has passed without Matt. Anna still longs for him; Frankie and her parents are still grieving. They invite Anna to go with them to California on their annual vacation. Frankie tells Anna that this summer will be a 20 boy summer, that she and Anna will meet, date, and then move from boy to boy to boy. Anna is not certain she can ever meet another boy for to do so would mean a betrayal of her love for Matt.
Teens who live Sarah Dessen and Jodi Picoult will appreciate this book that explores how one must deal with loss, how one can honor the dead and still move on with life.
