Piper Perish

March 27, 2017
Debut author Cagan has created a lively and memorable protagonist in Piper Perish, a young artist full of angst, joy, hope, and creativity. Piper has long dreamed of getting out of Houston, her hometown, to attend a competitive arts conservatory in New York City with her best friend, Kit, and boyfriend, Enzo. Cagan upends Piper’s world throughout the novel, first when Enzo breaks up with Piper by revealing he’s gay, in spectacularly public fashion. Even as Piper reels from Enzo’s announcement, she wants to support him. Soon Piper is dealing with more crises—her difficult older sister is pregnant, and Kit and Piper’s friendship is tested when their New York plans fall apart. Throughout these challenges, Piper’s art sustains and centers her, as does inspiration in the form of quotations from famous artists (especially Andy Warhol) and encouragement from her art teacher. The first-person, diary-style narrative is candid and thoughtful; readers will be sad to let go of Piper but eager to see what Cagan does next. Ages 12–up. Agent: John Cusick, Folio Literary Management.

February 1, 2017
Piper Perish and her two best friends have always planned to go to art school in New York together after graduation, but now that senior year is here, nothing is coming together as envisioned. White Italian-American fashion designer Enzo, Piper's boyfriend, reveals his true sexual identity, leaving their friendship intact but fractured. African-American Kit, a budding entrepreneur, endures setbacks that make her question whether there is a role for her in the art world, bringing tension to her relationship with Piper, a white Texas teen who is uniquely talented in the visual arts. The most disruptive surprise comes when Piper's emotionally unstable older sister, Marli, moves back home, pregnant. Marli seems to suffer from an undisclosed personality disorder, and her presence puts the whole family on edge. It also creates an unanticipated financial burden that throws the feasibility of art school in New York into question for Piper. Though there are many obstacles, Piper's staccato first-person narrative is characterized by levity and hope, keeping it from feeling heavy. Piper's goal to get to New York is a balanced blend of youthful optimism and pragmatism. Amid all the chaos, she is truly an artist, with an insatiable need to create. In the interplay between adolescence and independence, a believable combination of talent, work, and luck make budding young artist Piper a character readers will remember. (Fiction. 14-18)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-High school senior Piper Perish is an art monster. She and her two best friends, Kit and Enzo, find opportunities to embrace their artistic talents in just about any situation, especially when it comes to designing their own outfits. But when their collective plan to attend art school in New York City starts to fall apart, Piper must come to terms with not only her friendships but also her chaotic family life. Although the book takes place in Houston, the setting could really be anywhere-America, as Piper and crew mainly shuttle back and forth among school, one another's houses, and a local diner. Written in Piper's voice, the novel is in journal format, which results in an easy reading experience; however, entire scenes of dialogue are recorded word-for-word, making this title closer in style to Samuel Richardson's classic Pamela than Laura Amy Schlitz's The Hired Girl. Piper's email correspondence with Silas (a student already enrolled in art school) is a bright point in the narrative. Though few and far between, Silas's contributions manage to sketch out, in one case literally, New York City and college life in a way that is alluring and realistic, and his voice is a refreshing contrast to Piper's often tiresome naivete "I asked Mom if we were low-income."

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Piper Perish longs to escape her life in Houston for the excitement of college in New York City, and her ticket out is her amazing visual art. Unfortunately, she must juggle news of her acceptance with getting dumped by one best friend, managing the jealousy of another, trying not to get in the way of her perpetually angry, pregnant sister, and the financial implications of her school's cost on her parents. Taking the form of Piper's diary during the final semester of high school and the arduous summer after, this debut features hand-drawn spot art that brings Piper's passions to life. While it ostensibly covers well-trod ground in YA fiction (a young artist struggling to become her own person), Cagan tells Piper's story with amazing authenticity, eschewing a more straightforward story structure in favor of a tale with starts and stops, ebbs and flows. A large cast of characters disappear, reappear, and evolve over the course of 400 pagesmost notably Piper's sister, Marli, who Cagan intimates has more deep-seated mental issues than we first know. In the chaos of growing up, Piper Perish shows her true artistry as a resilient young woman who always tries to be the best person she can be. Soulful reading for any artistic teen with a dream.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)