How to Be Brave

August 31, 2015
After spending months grieving the death of her mother, who died from complications associated with obesity, high-school senior Georgia decides it’s time to move on with life, fulfilling her mother’s final wish for her to try new things and be fearless. Honoring this request is a challenge for Georgia, who is self-conscious about being overweight, but with prodding from best friend Liss, she creates a “Do Everything Be Brave” list of goals. Set in present-day Chicago, Kottaras’s debut traces Georgia’s struggles and triumphs as she reluctantly sets out to accomplish 15 tasks, which include asking a cute boy on a date, jumping out of a plane, and learning how to draw like her mother. During the process, she makes a new friend, nearly loses an old one, gains insight into her mother’s artistic sensibility, and uncovers talents she never knew existed. Georgia’s Greek-American heritage offers a distinctive backdrop for the novel’s themes of emotional healing and self-discovery, while Georgia herself emerges as a realistically flawed and genuine protagonist. Ages 12–up. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

September 1, 2015
After the death of her mother, Georgia tries to really live while figuring out what that means. All through high school, Georgia has been in "no-woman's-land" with her best friend, Liss. After losing her mom, her father buries himself in their failing restaurant, and Georgia feels like she's drowning. But Georgia can't forget her timorous mother's final words to her-to "do everything"-and they prompt her to make a list of things to do to become brave. Not worrying about her overweight appearance, Georgia focuses on truly living her life. Some are easily accomplished, like No. 12-smoke pot-with the help of a new friend, Evelyn. But then there are tougher tasks, like asking out-and kissing-Daniel, Georgia's crush, and learning how to draw like her mom. As Georgia discovers her artistic talents, however, her romance with Daniel hits several snags. And when a mistake wrecks Georgia's friendship with Liss, she's left wondering if the list is actually helping her. Will she have the courage to keep going, or will she give up? Georgia's realistically profane voice aptly captures her personality, carrying the novel; her traverse through grief and experimentation make for a believable and satisfying character arc. A thoughtful exploration of grief and life. (Fiction. 16-18)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-As she begins her senior year, Georgia Askeridis is still mourning the death of her mother. On the first day back, she decides to heed the last advice her mother left her in a letter-to be brave. Georgia and her life-long best friend Liss create a "Do Everything, Be Brave List," and the protagonist sets out fulfilling her mother's wish. Over the course of the year, she develops as an artist, deals with her grief, finds a new friend, experiments with drugs, and embarks on a tentative relationship with her long-time crush. Georgia's thoughts often take the form of poems, which are interspersed within the narrative, and they give the story, and Georgia's feelings, extra depth. Kottaras's debut novel has many strengths: the friendship between Georgia and Liss and the realistic description of teen recreational drug use chief among them. Georgia is a pleasingly imperfect lead. But there is a definite problem in how her mother's death is handled. Her mother died from kidney failure, and from the title all the way to the letter she left for Georgia, the text alludes to the idea that her mother's death was tied to her weight and an inability and unwillingness to be brave and "take care of herself." This is especially problematic, since Georgia, a "size 16," feels fat and is teased for being overweight. This mixed messaging weakens Georgia's character arc and disappoints. VERDICT Recommended as a strictly additional purchase.-Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library System, NM

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 What does it mean to be brave? When high-school senior Georgia first considers her mom's last piece of advice, she makes a be brave bucket list, featuring the heart-pounding (go to trapeze school) and the truly terrifying (ask out the guy). But things get a little complicated when her best friend joins in, and she begins to question if the list is really what her mother wanted for her. This is a solid story of loss that fits in well with other recent stories of grief in the face of a parent's death, like Jennifer Castle's The Beginning of After (2011) and Jennifer Brown's Torn Away (2014). The book's strongest sections are the lyrical flashbacks that tell the story of her mother's life and death, but Georgia's struggles with weight and body image are also handled with care. A perfect book for anyone trying to figure out what they want their life to look like, and how to be brave enough to make that life a reality.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)