Lucky Few

April 18, 2016
Stevie Hart, a 16-year-old diabetic, and her best friend, Sanger, classify themselves as “Normal Types” and not the “Granolas” and “Blue-Jean Jumpers” of their homeschool co-op in Austin, Tex. Aside from failing trigonometry, Stevie’s biggest concern is the danger to her beloved Barton Springs by a company threatening its water supply. Her activism fills her days until she meets Max Garza, a boy her age who enlists Stevie and Sanger in completing a challenge meant to help him overcome his fear of death after two close calls. Max’s startling honesty and interest in Stevie are welcome additions to her life, yet they drive a wedge between Stevie and Sanger, whose parents face major decisions after being asked to leave the homeschool co-op because they’re lesbians. This second novel from Ormsbee (The Water and the Wild) shines in its offbeat humor (of Stevie’s brother: “Girlfriends and devotees were drawn to him like hipsters are drawn to truffle oil”). The languid plot drags in places, but the sincere reconciliation of Stevie, her friends, and members of the co-op tenderly illustrates Ormsbee’s theme of embracing life’s unexpected moments. Ages 14–up. Agent: Beth Phelan, Bent Agency.

April 1, 2016
Three Austin, Texas, teenagers push the boundaries of death and friendship and discover how far they're willing to go to find meaning in their lives. It can be hard for Stevie, a home-schooler, to make friends. That's partly why she's so close to her best friend, Sanger, and her cousin, Joel. When a new kid, Max, moves to the neighborhood, he's interesting enough for Stevie and Sanger to like hanging out with him. They even support him on his quest to fake his own death in 23 different ways. But the stakes are higher than they expect, and when Stevie realizes that Max has real problems, she worries that they're helping him go too far. It doesn't help that Stevie is diabetic and knows how scary it really is to come close to dying. A witty and emotional tale of friendship plus more, told against a background of alternative education and teen activism that explores the seismic differences in socioeconomics, partnerships, and family members. Stevie's working-class and white; Max is preppy and Latino; and Sanger is well-to-do and bicultural--one of her moms is white, and the other is Japanese-American. Ormsbee writes with an occasionally tongue-in-cheek tone that manages to be authentically emotional while delivering a realistic picture of a population that rarely gets much scrutiny in fiction for young adults: home-schoolers. The smart, efficient language features dialogue that pops. A sweet story told with intelligence, humor, and just the right amount of kissing. (Fiction. 13-18)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Stevie Hart first meets Max when she finds his dead body in her neighbor's backyard, or at least she thinks it's his dead body. It turns out the blood is corn syrup and the death is bogus, just part of Max's goal of faking his own death 23 different ways. Homeschooled, Stevie doesn't have a lot of friends, and she isn't sure she wants to add this strange new neighbor to her small list. Her best friend Sanger disagrees; she has her own reasons for wanting to add Max to their friendship and help him with his checklist. Eventually, Sanger and Max manage to convince Stevie that the plan is worth pursuing, and Max charms his way into her heart. Ormsbee gives readers a sweet, believable romance without weakening the bond between the best girlfriends. Against the backdrop of their fake death checklist, which takes them all over Austin, the three teens explore friendship, romance, activism, and their own mortality. Sharing fears stemming from near-death experiences, Stevie understands Max's need to face his own anxieties around death. However, when her diabetes leads to another brush with death, Stevie begins to question their project. This quirky novel brings humor, relatable characters, and an inside look into the world of homeschoolers.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2016
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Ormsbee's sophomore effort is a quirky contemporary novel about mortality and friendshipa kind of modern update on Harold and Maude. Stevie Hart is an Austin, Texas, homeschooler, somewhere between normal and granola-loving hippieshe's involved in the effort to save the local Barton Springs swimming spot, for example. Her spring takes a turn for the interesting when she happens upon neighborhood newbie Max Garza in the process of faking his own death, which is his way of managing his complicated feelings about his recent too-close brush with death, during which he lost two fingers. Along with her best friend and fellow homeschooler Sanger, Stevie is swept up in Max's quest to fake his death 23 different ways, becoming romantically entangled with him in the process. Winsome characters, crackling dialogue, and an effortlessly enjoyable writing style help this one stand out in the crowded contemporary YA marketplace. But what may linger most in readers' minds is how differently Stevie, who has type 1 diabetes, and Max conceive of death and the extent to which each of them fear it. A well-rounded cast of secondary characters, a slant approach to a serious topic, and a sensitive exploration of the fraught dynamics of a homeschooling co-op add further depth. Hand this one to fans of Jesse Andrews and Stephanie Perkins.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)