Windfall

March 6, 2017
Best friends Alice and Teddy know about hard luck. Nine years ago Alice was uprooted from San Francisco to move in with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in Chicago after her parents died. Teddy has had to deal with a gambling addict father, who drained the family’s bank account before abandoning them. But on his 18th birthday, Teddy’s luck changes when Alice buys him a winning lottery ticket. After receiving millions of dollars, he goes wild with his newfound fortune while Alice, who refuses to take the cut of the money, focuses on her volunteer work. In a story that tests the morals and steadfastness of two vulnerable adolescents, Smith (Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between) smartly explores the psyche of Alice, examining why she chooses not to become rich and how she is plagued by her changing feelings toward Teddy as he wrestles with being a teenage multimillionaire. Though the plot is somewhat predictable, Smith’s dynamic characters and their complex struggles (including Alice’s gay cousin, Leo, who has his own share of conflicts) will keep readers invested. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM.

March 1, 2017
When the lottery ticket Alice gives to Teddy, the boy she's secretly loved for years, wins him a fortune, they discover money really does change everything. Orphaned at 9, Alice has grown up in Chicago with a loving family: her dad's brother, Uncle Jake; his Latina wife, Aunt Sofia; and their son, Leo. Uncle Jake--white and fair, like Alice, is a painful reminder of her dad. Struggling to live the life she believes her parents would have chosen, remembering them as passionate altruists, Alice tutors an orphaned foster child and volunteers at a soup kitchen, refusing emphatically when Teddy, who is also white, tries to share his winnings with her. For years, since his gambling-addicted father wiped out their savings, Teddy and his mother have shared a cramped apartment. Generous and impulsive, spending lavishly, Teddy enjoys his new fame. Leo, who feels unjustifiably blessed, having lucked out with great parents (they even made coming out as gay easy), views Teddy's win as just compensation for a bad-luck childhood, whereas Alice refuses to see good or bad fortune as anything but random. Now, unable to prevent the changes fortune brings, she must learn to weather them. While the feel-good ending feels forced--a shoe that doesn't quite fit--this compelling read, gracefully told, raises issues seldom explored in popular fiction. How can we rationalize life's inequalities? What do we owe, and to whom, when blessed with good fortune? Smart and entertaining, as to be expected from Smith. (Fiction. 12-17)

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February 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-What would you do if you won the lottery? A question almost everyone has contemplated becomes a reality for high school senior Teddy, who receives a winning ticket from his best friend, Alice. She bought the ticket on a whim, and it sends them down a much different path than either had anticipated. Both have had their share of struggles. Alice, an orphan, has moved to Chicago to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Teddy's father is a gambling addict who left Teddy and his mother penniless. Winning millions of dollars seems to be the best thing that could have happened to Teddy, but Alice knows that more money means more problems, and she sees how the money changes Teddy and how others begin to behave around him. As Teddy continues to be oblivious to Alice's hopeless love for him, she finds herself battling old ghosts-and her heart. Smith weaves a poignant tale of teens coping with loss and change as they balance on the verge of adulthood. A story that could have easily skimmed the surface of emotions plunges head-on into the complexities of grief, loss, and love. Healthy doses of humor and small victories for the main characters keep the atmosphere from feeling too heavy, and Smith creates more gentle tension as readers wait to see if love blossoms and if Alice will do something just for herself.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 Luck isn't something that 18-year-old Alice is familiar with. When she was 9, her parents died just months apart from each other, and Alice moved to Chicago to live with her aunt and uncle. Alice honors her parents by volunteering and dreaming of Stanford, though her longing to return to California is tempered by her close relationships with her cousin Leo and her best friend, Teddy, whom Alice secretly loves. On Teddy's eighteenth birthday, Alice jokingly buys him a lottery ticketand he wins. Teddy, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his single, overworked mother, seems like the luckiest guy in the world. But as much as Alice wants to believe that this newfound wealth won't change him, a rift grows between them. Smith, no stranger to romance (Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, 2015) crafts another thoughtful story about a girl on the brink of major change. Alice's struggles are relatable, and her feelings for Teddy ring true. Particularly well-developed secondary characters put the finishing touches on this lucky find. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: When it comes to teen romance, Smith is quickly becoming one of the big dogs; an extensive marketing and publicity campaign will only increase the buzz.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)