A Blind Spot for Boys

May 19, 2014
Sixteen-year-old aspiring photographer Shana Wilde is spending the summer scouring Seattle, trying to capture “knock-your-heart-open” moments on film to fill the portfolio she hopes will help get her into her dream college. She’s also on a “Boy Moratorium,” having had her heart broken by an older boy. While taking photos, Shana literally bumps into Quattro, an attractive, kind guy visiting Seattle with his father to look at colleges, who happens to be on a “Girl Moratorium” himself. Then Shana learns that her father is going blind. Along with her parents, Shana travels to Machu Picchu before her amateur photographer father loses his sight entirely; there, Shana bumps into Quattro once again. Chen creates the kind of vivid characters and strong emotion that featured so prominently in North of Beautiful, along with unexpected moments of action and danger, and descriptions that make the Andean setting come to life. As Shana and Quattro open up to each other’s losses, both past and future, their sweet romance will leave readers satisfied. Ages 12–up. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

June 1, 2014
Sixteen-year-old photographer Shana, a secondary character from Chen's previous novel, Return to Me (2013), takes center stage in this stand-alone companion romance.Shana has decided to call it quits on love after the disastrous end of her last relationship. Then she meets Quattro, a mysterious boy with questionable fashion sense and a penchant for bacon-maple bars. But before she can investigate this new development further, her father discovers he has a genetic disease that will cause him to lose his sight in six months. Shana's adventure-seeking parents push up some of their planned excursions to take advantage of this short window, taking Shana with them on a trip to Machu Picchu. Quattro and his father are coincidently on a parallel tour for sensitive reasons of their own. When a mudslide threatens to end their expedition almost before it's begun, Shana finds her resolve to steer clear of romance tested when Quattro selflessly devotes himself to watching out for her and her family. Though the author doesn't take full advantage of her exotic Machu Picchu setting, and the relentlessly positive homilies voiced by several of the characters occasionally carry this teen romance into self-help territory, fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will be willing to overlook these flaws as they swoon over Shana and Quattro's will-they-won't-they relationship.A mostly satisfying 'round-the-world romance. (Romance. 14-18)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-After a painful breakup, Shana Wilde has issued a "Boy Moratorium" when it comes to dating and relationships, despite her own flirtatious personality. In search of the perfect photograph to bolster her portfolio for college, Shana meets Quattro, and his wit and sweetness make her question her new mantra. Life throws another curveball Shana's way when her father announces he is going blind. With her father's sight lessening every day, Shana and her parents fly to Peru to pursue a lifelong dream of visiting Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, with her father angry at what fate has thrown at him and her mother trying to reassure her dad, Shana feels isolated and alone. When Quattro steps back into her life, she must decide if she is ready to embrace a new chance at happiness. Chen tackles romance and family adeptly in this realistic fiction story. The protagonist's character development is entwined with how she handles the challenges in front of her. In the beginning, the teen tends to be a bit too whiny; however, the change in environment smooths the path for growth for Shana and Quattro, and the rough terrain of the Inca Trail adds flair and danger. The story is high on heartbreak, but leaves the future open to hope, particularly for the narrator. A book that will appeal to readers who enjoy a side of adventure with their heartache.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN

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August 1, 2014
Grades 10-1 Shana is a photographer who is trying to see the beauty in the everyday, to find something that knocks her heart open to put in her art-school application portfolio in the fall. Her father, a lifelong exterminator with a dream of seeing 50 amazing things by his fifties, is slowing down, and not just due to aging: he has been diagnosed with retinal neuropathy, and he will lose his sight in just a few months. In that time, Shana travels with her family, intent on making joyous memories before her father loses his vision completely. Along the way, she has unexpected adventures and finds the picture that will finish her portfolio, with unforeseen assistance from cute lacrosse player Quattro. Her last relationship ended badly, and even though she is trying to stay away from boys altogether, she and Quattro have irresistible, sparkling chemistry. Chen, author of the smart and serious North of Beautiful (2009), finds similar ground here: an emotional and beautiful story, with hints of budding romance mixed in with the touching realism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)