Saving Montgomery Sole

Starred review from January 25, 2016
In a quietly assured story, Tamaki (This One Summer) introduces Montgomery Sole, the 16-year-old daughter of lesbian mothers and the president of her school’s “mystery club,” which consists of Montgomery discussing topics like ESP and healing crystals with her friends Thomas and Naoki. When a preacher from a hyperbolic, homophobic church à la Westboro Baptist moves into her small California town, Montgomery is nervous that his son, a fellow student, will single her out for having gay parents. Alongside this anxiety is her recent online purchase of the Eye of Know, a $5.99 amulet that purports to be a “portal to vision untold.” When Montgomery’s flashes of anger starting having mysterious effects on her targets, she begins to believe that the amulet might be responsible. Montgomery’s interest in the supernatural, along with her thirst to understand the unknowable, parallels her often-fruitless efforts to understand her classmates, her younger sister, and her own identity. Montgomery’s slow confrontation with reality creates a realistic, satisfying arc, and Tamaki’s economical storytelling results in dimensional characters whose struggles feel viscerally real. Ages 12–up. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency.

February 1, 2016
It's not easy being weird in tiny Aunty, California. Sixteen-year-old Montgomery Sole is used to being "a mystery object" to most of her high school peers. Being a Canadian with two moms and zero interest in celebrities, cars, or clothes makes her a frequent target of stupid, hurtful comments. That's probably why she loves to obsess over inexplicable phenomena like ESP, lucid dreaming, and hypnotism with her equally weird best friends, Thomas and Naoki. Neither their beloved Mystery Club nor Monty's new magic amulet (purchased online for a mere $5.99) is a sufficient distraction, however, when a famously homophobic evangelist moves into town and his son begins attending their high school. Tamaki, author of Caldecott Honor book This One Summer, illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki (2014), balances the story's lighter and more intense moments through Monty's smart, forthright first-person narration. While Monty's sardonic observations about her classmates are familiar teen fare, that doesn't make them any less astute or amusing. Meanwhile, the well-developed and likable supporting cast raises the novel's emotional stakes. Readers will empathize with Monty's anger and fear when posters about saving the American family go up all around town, and Monty's ex-crush finds new ways to prove he is a bully and bigot. Offbeat and authentic--an uncommon treat. (Fiction. 13 & up)

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December 1, 2015

Gr 6 Up-Montgomery Sole is the older daughter of two moms, a member of her high school's Mystery Club, and a confused, sweet, sometimes moody, relatively innocent teenage girl in the small town of Aunty, CA. The teen starts using a black stone she wears called the Eye of Know to explore the unexamined intentions of the reverend, his son, and herself. The tone here is reminiscent of Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss (Dutton, 2010), but the topics and themes are closer to those found in Carol Rifka Brunt's fantastic debut, Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Dial, 2013). The characters are refreshingly diverse for YA literature, in both sexuality and race, and the conversations around religion, homophobia, and society are written as if they are a norm of Montgomery's life-never straying into preachy or didactic territory. The novel is ultimately an exploration of Montgomery's struggles with religion and her parents' sexuality-and the question of whether the two are at odds. VERDICT While the themes are mature, the writing and characters are accessible for younger middle school readers; this would make a strong addition to most school or public library YA collections.-Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Montgomery lives with her two moms and her sister in a fairly progressive California town, and she is pretty comfortable being an oddball, especially in the company of her friends Thomas and Naoki, with whom she runs a mystery club dedicated to learning about paranormal occurrences. She is particularly excited about her latest discovery: the Eye of Know, a stone that promises a portal into vision untold. But when someone superglues a cross to her lockerjust as blustery, conservative Reverend White sets up shop downtown and plasters antigay, family-values posters everywhereshe begins to panic, and her hardened attitude, particularly toward Reverend White's son, newly enrolled at her school, begins to drive a wedge between her and her friends. When the Eye of Know seemingly imbues her with power, her anger is amplified, and she is compelled to take a much closer look at a more mundane mysteryherself. Tamaki is a master of evoking profound meaning at a slant, and here she expertly builds Monty's dynamic character in her funny, self-deprecating first-person narrative. Gradually and indirectly, Tamaki peels away layers of Monty's tough exterior to reveal the troubling source of both her panic and her fierce, albeit prickly, loyalty to her family. Subtle, compassionate, and full of character, Tamaki's empowering story of personal insightnot to mention lovably flawed Monty herselfhas ample, surprising depth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)