Interrupted

January 16, 2012
Coker makes an impressive debut—she’s only 15—in this Depression and WWII-era tale of Alcyone Everly, who is 14 when her mother dies of brain cancer. Allie is adopted by a woman in Maine, Beatrice Lovell, and vigorously resists her adoptive mother’s kindnesses, clinging bitterly to the memory of her mother. The past re-enters her life in the form of Sam Carroll, an old friend from her childhood home whose aunt lives next door to Beatrice and Allie. Sam has always been sweet on Allie, and his reappearance stirs many unwanted and confusing emotions in her. World events seize the day as the U.S. gets caught up in WWII, altering everyone’s lives. Coker writes an emotionally compelling and psychologically nuanced tale. The plot has some weak spots: Allie manages to overhear not one but two crucial incidents that give her unexpected information, and some of her character development late in the story is abrupt. But the historical context is an engaging narrative frame. Coker is one to watch. Ages 15–up. (Mar.) ■

February 1, 2012
Teen author Coker's blend of inspirational romance and historical fiction results in a predictable yet mostly satisfying debut. When not caring for her single, ill mother at their Tennessee home in 1939, 14-year-old Alcyone (named for a star in the Taurus constellation), or simply Allie, is followed longingly by classmate Sam. After her mother's death, the teen moves to Maine, where she's adopted by prim Miss Beatrice, a Christian woman fond of cliches. She refuses to consider Beatrice family or to follow her to church, since her Christian father abandoned her mother. Instead, she deals with her grief by turning to Emily Dickinson poems (which introduce each chapter), her journal and dreams of writing professionally. Except that Allie has become an even more bitter and reserved teenager, not much has changed when the text skips ahead to 1943. Only the surprise arrival of Sam at a garden party has the power to jolt Allie out of her ongoing mourning. Their playful banter, as Allie tries not to fall for Sam and Sam tries not to scare her off with his abiding love, is the highlight of the novel. A few lapses in accuracy and consistency don't detract from Allie's coming of age. While Sam enlists in the war, Allie rethinks (albeit too tidily) her relationships with God and Beatrice. A feel-good story for both heart and soul. (Christian fiction. 12-18)

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April 15, 2012
Grades 7-10 Fifteen-year-old Coker's debut novel has an ambitious span, from the Great Depression through WWII to eight months after the Battle of Normandy. When 14-year-old Alcyone Allie Everly's mother dies of cancer, Allie is sent from Tennessee to Maine, where well-meaning Beatrice adopts her. Three years later, Sam, a boy Allie mildly tolerated back home, visits for the summer, and so begins defensive Allie's slow journey toward healing. Although the novel is set during WWII, it lacks a strong sense of time and place. Sure, Benny Goodman plays on the jukebox occasionally, but such small details don't always feel organic to the plot. Some readers may wish for more period-specific flavor, while others may appreciate the timeless quality of the narrative. Christian themes are heavily weighted toward the end, making the all-at-once exploration of religion somewhat unconvincing. Despite its missteps, this has the feel of a sweeping epic, and the sweet, G-rated romance and themes of self-discovery should draw YAs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)