The Truth About Us

April 27, 2015
Ever since Jess's mother was attacked in a random, violent assault and subsequently fell into a depression, their family has fractured, and Jess's own behavior has become destructive. After Jess is caught drinking, sunbathing topless, and running up her parents' credit card, her father forces her to spend the summer volunteering at a local shelter. Privileged Jess is fearful and judgmental at first, but she soon befriends Wilf, a cantankerous elderly volunteer, and falls for a boy named Flynn, who brings his younger brother to the shelter for meals. Jess and Flynn's attraction is immediate and intense, but their friends and families don't want to see kids from different neighborhoods together. Jess's conversations with Wilf are gratifying, and her evolution into a more conscientious person comes across organically. Yet the story is weighed down by occasionally mawkish dialogue ("Fair is a place that has corn dogs and Ferris wheels. It's not real life," Flynn responds when Jess complains that life isn't fair) and the rehashing of plot. Ages 14âup. Agent: Jill Corcoran, Jill Corcoran Literary Agency.

April 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Jess feels like nobody "gets" her. Yes, she may be pretty, and she may have a lot of money, and she may be friends with the most popular girl in school, but what Jess needs are real friends who understand her. Jess has a lot of things going on in her life, and she has not chosen the best methods for coping recently. After an incident with her supposed friend Nance, Jess's father decides she needs to be reprimanded. Her punishment is to volunteer at the local shelter while the rest of her posse spends the summer soaking up the sun. New Beginnings turns out be just what Jess needed. She not only finds herself but also finds the real friends she has been searching for and even a romance. Flynn comes from a different economic class, and as the couple learns to overcome the challenges that are brought about by the gap in their relative statuses, Jess becomes a more developed and well-rounded character. Other subplots, such as her family recovering from an accident, add depth. This title will pair well with Simon Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry (Walker, 2008), another story dealing with building strong emotional relationships with people who come from vastly different backgrounds. VERDICT A tender, layered romance.-Caitlin Wilson, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
Grades 8-10 Jess feels like her life is falling apart around her. She betrayed her best friend; her dad is never around; her mom is recovering from an accident; and her family never talks anymore. She has become a reckless party girl who takes things too far when she charges an expensive dress to her mom's credit card and is found sunbathing topless with her friend. Her dad decides to clean up Jess' act by making her volunteer at the local homeless shelter. Jess befriends an elderly greenhouse keeper and finds that she enjoys her work at New Beginnings. She meets Flynn, a boy whose family has fallen on hard times, and discovers that they have a strong connection despite their difference in circumstance. This star-crossed romance offers a surface-level look into issues of homelessness and poverty. Though the dialogue is occasionally stiff and the storybook ending a bit too perfect, this offers readers a sensitive romance with insights into social class and prejudice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)