My Life with the Walter Boys

April 14, 2014
Novak's first novelâwhich she wrote at age 15 and posted on social network Wattpad, where it gained a large fan baseâis set just after 16-year-old Jackie's entire family dies in a car accident. She moves from New York City to Colorado with her mother's good friend, her new guardian. Now, Jackie will be living on a ranch with a family of 11 boys (including two sets of twins), their sole unfriendly sister, and a pet snake. The chaotic household's constant noise, sibling conflicts, and disarmingly laidback environment leave her disoriented, but also distract her from her recent tragedy. A compulsive organizer by nature, Jackie learns that not everything can be compartmentalized, and a messy romantic entanglement only throws her life into further disarray. Novak spreads the story thin, introducing multiple characters without developing them much. Prosaic descriptions at times undermine the story's emotional depth, and Jackie's response to her tremendous loss comes across as mechanical. Yet the themes of seizing rather than planning each moment and allowing for life's untidiness are explored with energy and humor. Ages 12âup.

July 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Jackie is used to high-rise apartments, the big-city life, and the prestige of attending a private school. Then, catastrophe strikes and her parents and sister are killed in a car accident. Jackie's nearest living family member isn't equipped to take care of her so he ships her off to her mother's childhood friend, Katherine Walters, in Colorado. Katherine lives on a horse ranch with 12 kids (11 boys and one girl). Jackie arrives to the house to a pretty cold welcome, especially because her new bedroom was Katherine's sanctuary and art studio. Six of the brothers attend the narrator's school where the attractive Walter boys are sought after by all of the girls. As she struggles to make friends and acclimate to her new environment, she begins to embrace her newfound siblings, and all of the drama that comes along with being the token female in family of handsome, if annoying, boys. Especially confusing for the protagonist is the palpable chemistry that grows between her and one of the brothers. Ultimately, life with the Walter boys helps Jackie cope with the loss of her family while embracing another one, and pushes her to discover who she really is in this coming-of-age novel. Fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door (Dial, 2012) will enjoy this rambunctious group of siblings.-Jessica Lorentz Smith, Bend Senior High School, OR

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