My Lost and Found Life

October 1, 2006
Gr 8 Up-Bowsher convincingly develops the unique voice of a young woman sliding from being a San Francisco suburban Valley Girl into homelessness. At the opening of the story, Ashley is an abrasive, catty snob just days away from high school graduation. Soon enough, however, the police are knocking on her door. Apparently the familys life of luxury has been financed by embezzled funds, and her mother has disappeared without a word. Ashley doesnt know what to believe, but she has no time to sit around wondering. She has to go to work, her boyfriend isnt as loyal as she might have hoped, and all the while shes dealing with the criminal investigation. By the end, Ashley has shed her judgmental pretension and is simply a feisty young woman with a tough exterior. This captivating story reads more like a journal than a novel. Though it is not high literature, it is a quick, easy read."Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2006
Part sexy romance, part urban survival adventure, this long, fast-paced contemporary novel will speak to older teens about coming-of-age. At 17, Ashley is homecoming queen, has a 4.0 GPA, and is on her way to an elite college when her mom disappears after being accused of embezzling funds. Suddenly the spoiled high-school star is homeless and alone, shunned by the elite in her Bay Area community. She moves into a camper and gets work in a local coffeehouse, where she finds community with the customers and fellow workers, including gorgeous Patrick, with whom she has sex. No way is she joining her girlfriend as a stripper. The plot is pure melodrama: the princess brought low. But Ashley's first-person narrative is funny, whether she is talking about what to wear or whom to talk to ("the only normal people are ones you don't know very well"), and readers will be caught up in the riches-to-rags turnaround in a materialistic world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)