Antipodes

February 15, 2018
When her life goes off the rails, 17-year-old Erin, an American high school student, spends a semester abroad trying to get it back on track.Erin's overly anxious and status-conscious mother has big plans for her time in New Zealand. She is to work on her college applications, pursue extracurriculars, and, most of all, transform herself into a stellar Ivy League applicant. But while the South Island promises beautiful vistas, exciting adventures, and new friends, Erin's privileged upbringing renders her ill-prepared for her Kiwi host family's modest home. It is not until she sees the benefits of a slower-paced, nature-filled lifestyle that she begins to appreciate her new setting. But when her past returns to haunt her, it is up to Erin to decide whether to turn back or keep looking forward. Flashback chapters unfortunately prove distracting rather than building suspense or enhancing character development. The unfolding love story is sweet, Erin's metamorphosis is engaging, and the details about New Zealand are informative, but the narrative is flattened by its own construction. Erin's best friend back in the States is Indian-American, and her love interest is a sexy, tattooed, athletic Chinese Kiwi. She also makes some Maori friends; most characters are assumed white.Epic landscapes and tender moments fail to coalesce. (Fiction. 14-18)

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March 1, 2018

Gr 10 Up-Erin Cerise is the product of a hyper-competitive, upper middle-class community. She is an outstanding cellist, captain of the swim team, and has excellent grades. She is on a path to the Ivy Leagues when a disastrous birthday week threatens her future. In a bid to redeem her chances of admittance to Columbia, her parents have decided that a foreign study program will be the unique experience she needs to put her back on the radar of college admissions officers. Which is how Erin finds herself on the other side of the world in Christchurch, New Zealand. When she arrives, Erin is put off by the modest lifestyle of her host family and the general slow pace. However, it is out of the pressure cooker of her suburban American life that Erin is able to rediscover who she is, and what she really wants out of life and love. Bacon has created an engrossing story that is incredibly relevant to teens. While displaying a mastery over writing the teenage voice, Bacon also shows that she can adeptly wield imagery to transport readers to the mountainous landscapes and sprawling coastlines of the South Island of New Zealand. Due to some mature themes and sexual content, this is recommended for older teens. VERDICT An excellent coming-of-age story for those who enjoy An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, More than We Can Tell by Brigid Kremmerer, or The Princess of Iowa by M. Molly Backes.-Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
Grades 8-12 Pressured by her parents to excel in everything, Erin is focused on one thing at her overly privileged high school: Ivy League acceptance. Her promising future nearly dies, though, when a video of her mortifyingly drunk on her seventeenth birthday goes viral. Now she finds her life has become the antipodes, or opposite, of what it was. Erin hopes that spending a semester abroad in Christchurch, New Zealand, will heal her reputation and add a unique factor to her already-impressive r�sum�. However, New Zealand is not what she expected. No one there does anything important, yet they're always happy. It takes a few outdoor adventures with Hank, a friend of her host family, to get Erin to appreciate her temporary home. Slowly, she falls for Hank and understands the New Zealand belief that enjoyment of what one does is more fulfilling than always winning. Brief interspersed chapters reveal her past in reverse chronology, anchoring Erin's personal journey forward. Perfect for readers who yearn to travel abroad or are trying to bridge the happiness gap.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)