The Summer of Broken Things

February 1, 2018
For two American teens, a summer trip to Europe turns out to be far more complicated than they ever expected.Avery doesn't want to go to Spain with her dad--she'll fall behind in soccer and he'll just be working all the time. When she finds out that he's already chosen a "friend" to accompany her--Kayla, an older girl she used to play with as a little kid--the summer feels even more doomed. But for Kayla, it's an opportunity of a lifetime, a huge gift her family could never afford. In Spain, the two white girls struggle to find their places among the locals and their language class friends as a jaw-dropping revelation changes their relationship forever. It takes a near tragedy to make them realize that while they might not have chosen this path, how they move forward is their choice. Through chapters told in alternating points of view, Haddix offers a fully realized portrayal of teen girls dealing with the vagaries of their parents' lives. Spain forms a vivid backdrop to the girls' confusion and revelations, and Avery and Kayla are each so completely sympathetic that it's hard to choose whom to root for when they're at war.The trip to Spain you wouldn't wish on anyone, except in the form of this terrific book. (Fiction. 13-18)

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February 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-Avery Armistead and Kayla Butts are an unlikely pair. Avery, a privileged snob, wishes only to spend the summer at soccer camp with her best friends. When her dad cooks up a scheme to bring her along on an extended business trip to Spain, Avery desperately pleads to stay home. Without the bonds made at soccer camp, how will she be in the "right" crowd when she starts school in September? When her dad explains further that they're bringing along Kayla, a family friend, Avery fights even harder. Despite her protestations, the trip moves forward and she grudgingly finds herself in Spain with Kayla, a girl who is definitely not from the "right" crowd. In Spain, they learn just how intricately their fates are intertwined and are forced to truly look at themselves for the first time. In the hands of a less seasoned author, this story (told in alternating chapters by Avery and Kayla), might have felt simultaneously unlikely and cliched. In Haddix's able hands, however, it proves a compelling coming-of-age novel. Readers will be drawn into both protagonist's lives, rooting for Avery to learn an ounce of empathy and for Kayla to gain confidence in the same measure. Both characters develop past their initial caricatures and when the drama and action pick up closer to the book's end, readers will find themselves quite satisfied. VERDICT A strong choice for most YA shelves.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

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