Flightsend

December 14, 2009
Set in an English village, this novel has the feel of an earlier time (it was first published in the U.K. in 1999). Charlie has just moved with her mother, Kathy, to a neglected 150-year-old country cottage, Flightsend, where they hope for a new start after Kathy’s miscarriage. Descriptive passages of riotous plant life permeate many scenes (“and now here were the aconites, floating like golden lilies on the dark soil”). Kathy’s newfound optimism, apparently partly fueled by medication, is juxtaposed with Charlie’s anxieties about her social life, though, for 16, she is remarkably supportive and nurturing, so little tension is created. Instead, Newbery’s (At the Firefly Gate
) story wanders through a series of benign events, such as the arrival of a handsome German pilot who gives meaning to the name of the cottage and eventually becomes Kathy’s beau. Charlie finds herself drawn to and attracting attention from her lecherous art teacher, and she longs for another man as well—her mother’s ex-boyfriend. Yet these potentially dangerous entanglements are, like the vegetation, eventually tamed. The result is a pleasing, quiet coming-of-age story. Ages 12–up.

February 1, 2010
Gr 7-10-Charlie and her mother are moving. Kathy has quit her job at Charlie's school; the house has been sold; and Sean, Kathy's long-term live-in boyfriend, has been ousted. The only thing left is to find a new home, and a place to recover from the grief of losing Rose, Kathy and Sean's stillborn daughter, who had been so happily anticipated months before. Though Charlie doesn't want to go, she tries to be supportive of her mother when they move to Flightsend, a house in the middle of a nowhere village, and Kathy begins her gardening business, a far cry from her former teaching career. What Charlie doesn't realize is that Flightsend is exactly what both of them need. This gentle novel is about the teen's journey to maturity. Though not immature to begin with, she learns that the events of her first summer at Flightsend open new paths and understandings of herself and the adults around her. The characters are wonderfully developed. The leisurely plot unfolds quietly, meandering through Charlie's life and endearing her to readers. Put this book in the hands of teens who enjoy Sarah Dessen and know that they will not be disappointed."Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2009
Grades 7-10 Charlies mum has quit her job and moved them to a small cottage in the countryside. Though Charlie is not happy, she knows that a fresh start is in order after the breakup of their family. So she spends her time exploring their village, getting ready for sixth form year, and plotting to get her mother and step-dad (a teacher from Charlies school) back together. A job at a local bed-and-breakfast allows Charlie to explore her talent for art when another teacher from her school takes a job teaching classes there. Newbery creates a fine sense of place and introduces a likable character in Charlie. However, the last 40 pages wrap up quite unexpectedly, leaving readers wondering if they missed something. Charlies art teacher suddenly develops an unhealthy attraction to her, while, at the same time, Charlie develops feelings for her ex-stepfather. Fans of British chick-lit might enjoy the book, but will likely wish there was a more satisfying ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)