Never Said

August 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-The story of twins, Sarah and Annie, whose relationship has suffered as each struggles with her own issues. Sarah, whose chapters are all in prose, has severe social anxiety and recently experienced an unexpected breakup. Annie, whose chapters are all in poetry, is a former beauty queen who has started overeating and gained 45 pounds since she quit pageants suddenly a year ago. Hanging over everything is the influence of adults in this story-Sarah's boyfriend broke up with her at his mother's insistence, and Annie's weight gain has upset her whole family's dynamic-in fact, the whole town seems to be overly concerned that she is, by their standards, no longer pretty. During the course of the novel, the sisters' relationship deepens. The eventual reveal of the sexual trauma that caused Annie to gain weight is expected, but the exact circumstances are unnerving and feel out of place and unresolved. The first book by the publisher that feels decidedly mainstream YA and not their previous more Christian fiction fare, this title unevenly handles important topics. VERDICT While this is an overall engaging read, the strange decisions both protagonists make, the overbearing parents, and the constant message that being overweight is the worst thing that can happen to a girl will put off many teens.-Sarah Jones, Clinton-Macomb Public Library, MI

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