Joyride

April 1, 2015
Two teens form an unlikely bond across a racial and cultural divide. Sixteen-year-old Carly Vega lives with her older brother, Julio, both American citizens struggling to earn enough money to smuggle their undocumented, deported family back to the United States from Mexico. While studying her calculus homework during one dull midnight shift at a convenience store, Carly witnesses the old, irascible, and frequently drunk Mr. Shackelford getting mugged in the parking lot. She leaps to his aid, confronting the would-be perp before he gives up and escapes on Carly's bicycle. The next day, the handsome and popular Arden Moss, an Anglo and the son of the local sheriff, confesses to Carly that he was the culprit-it was an ill-conceived attempt to prevent his uncle from driving drunk again. Both are intrigued; from here, their relationship commences a complex tug of war. Carly is cautiously aware that Arden's father successfully campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform. Arden, meanwhile, is coping with the loss of his beloved sister, trying to steady his pill-popping mother, and both avoiding and provoking his contemptible, racist father. A mind-blowing revelation creates a plot-changer worthy of an action film. Writing in the present tense and switching between first-person for Carly and third-person for Arden, Banks offers a book brimming with original humor and mostly complex characterization (Mr. Shackelford is a delight) even as she tackles race and immigration issues. Both a heart-stopper and heart-tugger. (Fiction. 12-18)

March 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Good girl Carly and popular Arden combine forces in order to live more authentic lives in this angsty contemporary novel. Carly's parents have been deported to Mexico and she works nights to support her family. Arden uses his bad-boy reputation to pull off grand, sometimes disastrous pranks to salve the pain of his sister's death. Carly is not Arden's type, at first-and Carly knows she is too busy to bother with him. Eager to escape the iron fist of his sheriff father, Arden grows closer to Carly after an unexpected encounter. Together they realize Arden's father's true intentions and work in concert to bring him to justice. With a dash of romance, Banks's book tackles the issues of human smuggling, immigration, and a rogue police officer. It could be too much for any young adult novel, but buoyed by irresistible characters, sincere dialogue, and robust prose, this is one ride readers will all want to take. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti will flock to the author's fan pool. VERDICT Relevant, risky, and romantic, this work is a clear standout in today's contemporary YA niche.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 A devastating emptiness consumes Florida teens Carly Vega, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, and Arden Moss, the handsome quarterback son of the county sheriff. Their dramatic meeting at gunpoint outside Carly's graveyard-shift job at the Breeze Mart is a prelude to Arden's most challenging conquest. Having lost his sister, Amber, to suicide, he coerces reluctant Carly into becoming his accomplice in local pranks designed to upset his domineering father. Arden's adolescent response to his sister's death and Carly's mature struggle to help her parents return to the U.S. initially puts them at cross purposes, but after they expose the sheriff's immigrant-deportation scam together, their relationship finally has a future. Banks respects her readers by penning an engaging narrative that deepens her central love story, but we only glimpse influential characters such as Arden's grieving mother, his kindly uncle Cletus, and Carly's driven older brother, Julio. As Carly and Arden open themselves to love and draw closer together, the book's message comes through loud and clear: personal growth can lead us toward unlikely destinies. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The best-selling author of the Syrena Legacy leaves merpeople behind for realistic fiction with a big publisher push. Banks will tour with other Fierce Reads authors starting in late May.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)