The Day Before

August 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-In this novel-in-verse, Amber's life has become the stuff of supermarket tabloids. She's recently learned that her family is only her family due to a mix-up at birth. After the death of the girl who went home with her birth parents, the mix-up was revealed. Now her birth parents have legally won joint custody. Rather than spend her last day before departing for her forced visit in a long, sad goodbye, she steals away to spend a solitary day at the beach. While there, she meets Cade. He, too, is running from reality; in his case, the fear of serving as his Dad's liver donor the next day. The circumstances of Amber and Cade's chance meeting are only slowly revealed, which sustains an air of mystery for both the characters and readers. The day they spend together is sweet, if somewhat saccharine, but will certainly appeal to teens looking for a good, fast-paced whirlwind love story with a happy ending. Schroeder's fans will not be disappointed.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ

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