Trinkets

Starred review from February 11, 2013
Eleventh graders Elodie, Tabitha, and Moe all attend Lake Oswego High, but burnout Moe and new girl Elodie are way below alpha girl Tabitha’s notice. Soon, though, they have something in common: after being caught shoplifting, Elodie and Tabitha are remanded to the counseling program Moe’s already in. Smith shifts among the three girls’ distinctive viewpoints: Tabitha is becoming skeptical about her lacrosse-star boyfriend and clothing—and looks-obsessed friends; tough girl Moe yearns for the neighbor boy who only likes her when no one’s around; and Elodie writes in a free-verse narrative that’s literary without being precious, a style Smith used in The Geography of Girlhood. The girls’ unlikely friendship starts with a contest to see who can boost the best stuff and develops as they find that they share more than the understanding that, as Elodie says, “a stolen present/ means way more than one that’s been bought/ because of what you had to go through to get it.” The plot lines converge a bit too neatly, but it’s a small flaw in this funny, smart, and perceptive book. Ages 14–up.

February 1, 2013
Collecting stolen loot leads to collecting friends. Shy transfer student Elodie, popular "princess" Tabitha and tough-looking, "burnout" Moe (short for Maureen) cross paths unexpectedly when each is forced to complete a 12-week Shoplifters Anonymous program. Hiding their association by day among their clique-driven social circles, the three high school juniors secretly meet outside of their Portland, Ore., school to brag and compare notes about their pilfered swag. In the process of learning about their shoplifting addiction, Elodie, Tabitha and Moe discover they have even more in common when it comes to family, relationships, sexuality, body image and self-esteem problems. Smith gives each young woman a distinct voice, emphasized through Elodie's verse form, Tabitha's prose and Moe's diary entries. As they become less concerned with appearance and more interested in filling the voids in their lives with healthy choices, the teens make their unconventional friendship public. Although the storyline is predictable from the start, a few slight twists, realistic encounters, romances all around and a just-right ending will make this a hit with fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, Elizabeth Scott and other venerable chick-lit authors. (Chick lit. 14 & up)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Burnout Moe, Queen Bee Tabitha, and Nice Girl Elodie all have different reasons to shoplift. Besides all going to the same high school, their Shoplifters Anonymous meetings are the only thing they have in common. Initially, they get together to prove who is the best thief. Eventually, the girls bond on their stealing sprees and become friends. The narrative shifts among the girls' voices, each section only a few pages long. Moe speaks in short paragraphs, Tabitha in longer ones, Elodie in verse. Readers are shown why each teen steals, but the psychology behind kleptomania is not overexplained, and the author doesn't preach about its evils. In the end, none of the teens take their program seriously, but the friendship they forge acts as a type of group therapy, allowing them to come to peace with the things in their lives that drive their behavior and the need for the rush of excitement that comes with not getting caught. With different glimpses of high school life, some romance for each character, and family drama that doesn't overwhelm the plot, Trinkets is a quick and entertaining read.-Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
Grades 8-11 Judging by the success of Ally Carter and Elisa Ludwig, books about sticky-fingered teen thieves mired in larger-than-life plots are in vogue. In this tale of three teen shoplifters, the emphasis is on the reality of being caught. As disparate as the items they lift, A-list teen queen Tabitha, slacker Moe, and good-girl drudge Elodie have been sent to Shoplifters Anonymous, where they bond around their shared habit. In first-person sections that suit their personalities (Moe's self-deprecating bursts, Elodie's prose poems, and Tabitha's more traditional diarylike entries), they trace how getting to know one another allows them to break out of the roles in which they feel trapped. The engaging story nails the claustrophobic feel of high school and manages to supply the girls with reasons for being kleptos without sounding like a pamphlet picked up in a psychologist's waiting room. This will appeal to readers who like their slice-of-life novels less gritty than an Ellen Hopkins book but still prefer to keep it real.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)