Rosie and Skate

This is a quiet novel, though the lives of Bauman's narrators, two sisters, are anything but. Rosie, 15, and her 16-year-old sister, Skate, are temporary orphans, their alcoholic father having just landed himself in jail for several months after stealing money to buy booze. Rosie attends meetings for children of alcoholics and yearns for her father to shape up, while Skate retreats from the pain of abandonment by jumping from place to place, crashing wherever she can. With dad gone, both girls live rather nomadic lifestyles, taking love wherever they can get it, sometimes through sexâencounters that leave them lost more than anything. Eventually, the girls begin to reestablish roots with each other and those who truly care for them, but the abrupt ending leaves several threads unresolved. The Jersey shore boardwalk setting also feels like a missed opportunityâwhile the characters quickly become intriguing and three-dimensional, the boardwalk and all it offers are underdeveloped. There are heartening, thoughtful moments along the way, but at times, Bauman's (Beautiful Girls) novel feels more like a series of loosely connected narrative sketches. Ages 12âup.

November 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Sisters Rosie, 15, and Skate, 16, have little in common other than hard times. Their widowed, alcoholic father is in jail. Rosie is quiet and reserved and has faith in her dad. In contrast, Skate is tough and independent and refuses to visit her father. Rosie falls for Nick, who also has an alcoholic father. Skate is in high school while her boyfriend, Perry, is at Rutgers and has found new interests. She refuses to see it and is left heartbroken, but she has Frank, 21, to help her pick up the pieces. The sexual situations are honest but not graphic, and teens will understand Rosie's reaction to sleeping with Nick. The sisters are believable characters and their dialogue is realistic. Readers will feel Skate's frustration and wonder how she could be so faithful to Perry. Students who have to do a character analysis will find this novel to be a good choice. The ending will be no surprise to them. Bauman offers an honest depiction of the lives of many teens and their relationships."Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* High-school sophomore Rosie and her year-older sister Skate have one unshakable reality in their lives: their father is a drunk, whom Skate calls Old Crow after the booze he drinks. After their father is thrown in jail for petty theft, an older cousin comes to stay in the familys decrepit ocean-front Victorian on the Jersey shore. Skate, though, prefers to live with the mother of her college-freshman boyfriend, Perry. If theres one other reality Skate holds firmly to, its that she and Perry are in love and will successfully negotiate a long-distance relationship. So you know how thats going to go. Told in alternating chapters by sisters who are very different from one another yet bound by their hardships and their laughter, this is a novel as brisk and refreshing as an ocean breeze. The descriptions are always vivid, whether first-time author Bauman is describing the boardwalk or the ways sex can be used to pacify or agitate a situation. Both sisters write in first-person, and their narratives have a scratchy uniqueness, miles apart from the ubiquitous voice so often heard in YA novels. Rosie is dear and hopeful, and Skate, nicknamed for her skateboarding abilities, is knowing and crisp. Baumans subtle melding of their personalities as life shapes them shows surprising skill from a debut author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)