Wanderlove

February 6, 2012
Hubbard’s second novel, following Like Mandarin, is rich with the unexpected joys and tribulations of new experiences. When 18-year-old Bria Sandoval is dumped, her art school plans fall through, and her two best friends renege on their summer travel plans, Bria signs up for a “Global Vagabond” tour in Central America. Upon arriving in Guatemala, she is disappointed by the tame, touristy group, and when a handsome stranger named Rowan and his half-sister, Starling, invite her to travel with them, she jumps at the opportunity. From Guatemala, Rowan and Bria make their way to a Belizean island where they stay in hostels, get on each other’s nerves, and skirt conversations about their pasts: both are angry at themselves and focused on changing themselves. The sincerity of Bria’s narration is balanced by a healthy dose of sarcasm, and her journaling and delicate, skillful pencil drawings contribute to the novel’s strong sense of place. Bria’s charged relationship with Rowan and the vast emotional and physical territory Hubbard covers make for an evocative and romantic read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary.

January 15, 2012
A tale of self-discovery slowly unfolds in this novel about a talented artist who falls for her travel companion as she backpacks in Central America. Eighteen-year-old Bria defiantly embarks on a post-high-school graduation trip, quickly abandoning the tour group full of squares she's with and uneasily throwing her lot in with globetrotter Starling and her surly, yet intriguing brother, Rowan. Bria and Rowan eventually wind up on their own, both guarding their secrets mightily from the other. Bria is distinctive--embarrassed that she let her dreams of art school be sabotaged by a former boyfriend and self-conscious about appearing to be a naive traveler, but also often tough and assertive. While these seemingly incongruous qualities make for interesting reading, her internal voice sometimes seems to clash with her dry, almost tartly down-to-earth outward persona, as when she thinks, "Tonight, I am the bohemian beach fairy of my fantasies." Rowan, who is attempting to leave behind a sordid past that includes drug use and smuggling, is similarly complex. If the pacing drags at times, there are also some thrillingly romantic, smart and funny moments. Pencil drawings by the author embellish appealingly. A thoughtful and meandering travel narrative, this will find an audience among readers willing to take the time to get to know characters whose motives they might not always understand. (Fiction. 13 & up)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Bria Sandoval is a gifted 18-year-old who lives in Los Angeles. She has abandoned her art on the heels of a destructive relationship with egotistical Toby, with whom she competed for a coveted art-school placement and won. As therapy for her broken heart and disillusioned psyche, Bria signs up for a trip to Central America with the Global Vagabonds. When her fellow travelers turn out to be middle-aged, Bria impulsively goes off with two backpacker teens she meets in Guatemala. She is left alone with secretive and troubled Rowan when his sister leaves unexpectedly, and her journey of self-discovery and emotional recovery begins. Neither goody-goody (one goal of her trip is to have an utterly meaningless sexual relationship) nor bad girl, Bria is a strong, principled young woman. A very good, very accessible novel.-Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Grades 10-1 Bria Sandoval always thought her future was art school at Toby's side, but then Toby showed his true colors. Now Bria has left both Toby and her art while she backpacks in Central America and considers her future. A random encounter with fellow packers in a Guatemalan airport leads Bria to ditch her tour group to go off the beaten path with Rowan. From staying in hostels and washing laundry in chipped sinks, to scuba diving and eating fried plantains, Bria sees the world around her afresh. This unique tale of self-discovery features an appealing heroine who learns to stop running away and look within. The romantic tension between Rowan and Bria is palpable but complex and believable. With an extraordinary setting, delicately rendered and well informed by Hubbard's years as a guide to Central American travel on About.com, this becomes a wonderful story of kindred souls in a land of beauty, illuminated by Hubbard's own drawings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)