Hello Girls

June 1, 2019
Two high school seniors escape their hostile homes in a stolen car, headed from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Las Vegas on a crime spree that turns more dangerous as they rack up the miles. Winona Olsen is a rich girl whose mother is dead and whose father, Stormy, a beloved local meteorologist, secretly and regularly abuses her. Lucille Pryce lives in poverty with her struggling single mother and threatening, drug-dealing older brother, Marcus. The girls first meet one night outside the police station, bruised and hurt. Instead of reporting the familial crimes, they go to a bar and begin a friendship. It proves a lifeline when soon they are running for their lives: Winona from her father's rage when she uncovers proof of a lie he has told and Lucille from Marcus after she steals his stash to stop him dealing. As they drive off together, they reflect upon the ways in which their lives have been scripted by men--and experiment with taking their power back. The girls' voices are authentic, and readers will enjoy a feeling of female empowerment as they follow them on their road trip (Lucille turns out to be an accomplished card counter and Winona is a pool whiz). The book follows a white default. Drawing inspiration from Thelma & Louise, this book provides a fun, fast-paced plot with resourceful feminist protagonists. (authors' note) (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 17, 2019
Crime does pay in the latest novel by Cavallaro (the Charlotte Holmes series) and Henry (The Love That Split the World), inspired by Thelma and Louise. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Winona is the seemingly perfect daughter of weatherman/local philanthropist Stormy Olsen, who is beloved in public but secretly abusive. Lucille’s childhood has been cut short by having to help her single mother make ends meet and dealing with her menacing, drug-dealing older brother. After the girls meet outside a police station one night, they establish a sustaining friendship. When Winona learns that her mother, once presumed dead, is alive and living in Las Vegas, she fears more abuse from her father. The two high school seniors steal cash and a car, then embark on a journey that involves more theft, illegal gambling, a drug-dealing scam, and a feigned kidnapping. Though some readers may have trouble suspending disbelief as the teens’ capers grow increasingly outlandish, the celebration of young women’s autonomy—taken from men and fueled by rage—is enjoyable, and fans of nonstop action will enjoy the collaborative novel’s unrelenting pace. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lana Popovic, Chalberg & Sussman.

August 1, 2019

Gr 10 Up-In small-town northern Michigan, Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce are high school seniors, who are sustained by their unlikely friendship. Winona is the sheltered daughter of wealthy, beloved meteorologist Stormy Olsen, who she tells herself is "particular, not violent," despite a cigarette burn to the contrary. Lucille is a diner waitress struggling to keep the electricity on for her working-class family, an effort that is continuously undermined by her drug-dealing leech of an older brother. When Winona finds a letter from her supposedly-dead mother hidden in her father's study, she impulsively steals it. Fearing his violent retribution, she also steals her grandfather's car, and Lucille, enraged to discover that her brother is selling roofies, takes his stash. Together the girls set off to find Winona's mother in Las Vegas, on a road trip punctuated by gambling, a 7-11 hold-up, and a handsome drifter, hotly pursued all the while by Winona's father and a Midwestern drug lord. This novel offers a witty, sharply-observed critique of patriarchal norms and of the societal tendency to simultaneously sexualize and infantilize teenage girls, as well as a fierce celebration of the power of female friendship. Sparkling dialogue, larger-than-life hijinks, and the empowering agency of the protagonists all add to the appeal. VERDICT A smart, fast-paced, and immensely enjoyable YA take on Thelma and Louise. A first purchase perfect for fans of Jeff Zentner's Rayne and Delilah's Midnight Matinee or Kody Keplinger's Run.-Elizabeth Giles, Lubuto Library Partners, Zambia

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.