Hope and Other Punch Lines

March 11, 2019
In this novel, Buxbaum (Tell Me Three Things) offers up an emotionally resonant, wryly humorous portrayal of two young adults navigating trauma and acceptance years after 9/11. Nearly 17-year-old Abbi Hope Goldstein is eager to spend the summer as an anonymous camp counselor instead of as Baby Hope, the famous toddler turned cultural artifact who was photographed being carried to safety as the first tower fell on Sept. 11, 2001 (her first birthday). She also intends to enjoy a carefree eight weeks before telling her parents about an increasingly worrying cough that she suspects is 9/11 syndrome—complications from breathing the toxins at ground zero. Immediately recognized by fellow counselor and budding comedian Noah Stern, Abbi reluctantly agrees to help interview other figures in the Baby Hope photograph, unaware that Noah has a hidden personal motivation. Told in alternating perspectives between the two teens, the novel sensitively depicts how definitively 9/11 split countless lives into before and after. Directly affected by the events but too young to remember them, Abbi and Noah provide distinctive points of view with which teen readers, for whom 9/11 is history, will identify. Ages 12–up.

June 14, 2019

Gr 7 Up-In this contemporary realistic novel, high school protagonists grapple with the long-term impact of 9/11 on their respective lives. Abbi "Hope" Goldstein was in a famous photo taken on 9/11 of a group of survivors escaping the collapse of the Twin Towers. Abbi is pictured wearing a birthday crown and holding a red balloon, being carried to safety by her childcare teacher. She becomes a symbol of hope, a burden that she has held since that day. Noah is desperate to learn the truth about his father and to tell the perfect 9/11 joke. Abbi and Noah grew up in the same town, attend the same high school, but their paths only cross at a nearby day camp where they are both working over the summer. Snappy dialogue, humor, and realistic relationships will satisfy readers. Buxbaum skillfully interweaves light moments with heavy moments. The budding romance between the teens leads to the exploration of topics such as identity, survivor guilt, health issues, sense of abandonment, and loss. VERDICT Fans of Buxbaum's earlier works will enjoy her latest offering. A recommended purchase for most teen collections.-Eva Thaler-Sroussi, Wellesley Free Library, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019
Grades 7-11 Abbi cherishes her anonymity, and hopefully, as she spends this summer as a camp counselor out of town, no one will recognize her as Baby Hope. Even 15 years after 9/11, people still recognize her from the iconic photo of her one-year-old self clutching a balloon as she was rescued from day care at the World Trade Center complex. So much for plans, though: classmate Noah turns up as a fellow counselor. He not only knows who she is but also pressures her into working on a school journalism project identifying others shown from the back in the photo. In spite of Abbi's wishes for privacy, the two develop a partnership and eventual romance, narrating in alternating chapters. Noah's real reason for pursuing the project and suspense over Abbi's worrisome cough drive a strong plot with vivid characterizations and heartfelt emotion. Buxbaum evokes the tragedy and horror of a fateful day, spotlighting the post-9/11 lives of survivors and those who lost loved ones, as well as an illnesses linked to toxic exposure at the site. An illuminating and gut-wrenching tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)