Miles from Nowhere

February 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-High school senior Chelsea Morris has the perfect life: Todd, the devoted boyfriend; a loving family; a good job; and the opportunity to attend performing arts school to study costume design in the fall. All she needs is to pull off the responsibilities of lead costumer for the summer production of Grease at the local playhouse and secure a recommendation for her portfolio. Chelsea attracts the attention of Dylan, the handsome lead actor in the play who is older, more experienced, wealthy, and a sophomore at university. Dylan and Kylie, Chelsea's assistant costumer, gradually convince Chelsea that she should live it up during her last summer break before college. The teen begins to attend private cast parties at Dylan's invitation. She loves socializing with all of the actors and finally feeling like she belongs. The only problem is that she begins to lie to Todd, her parents, and her friends, participate in underage drinking, and sneak out of the house to attend these parties. Todd eventually breaks up with her, she loses her job, and she is caught up in a web of lies with her family and friends. Chelsea struggles from within to identify who she really is: the Christian she has always been, or the new person she has become? Can she repair her damaged relationships? Clipston satisfies with her subtle introduction of each temptation and her depiction of a teen's struggles to find herself. VERDICT A coming-of-age tale that will be appreciated by conservative teens and Christian fiction fans.-Susan Harris, Ridgeway High School, TN

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2014
Grades 8-12 For Chelsea, life has always been fairly simple, and the summer before she goes off to college seems typical: she spends time with her boyfriend and family, goes to church, works at a restaurant, and sews costumes for the local theater. But when she meets attractive actor Dylan, everything starts to change. He encourages Chelsea to tap into her rebellious side, and though she's at first excited, she soon begins to struggle with guilt and her estrangement from her boyfriend, her family, and God. Clipston's characters sometimes lack dimension, and the deus ex machina ending comes quickly. But for teen readers searching for contemporary Christian fiction, this is a good pick. Chelsea's questions will feel familiar to anyone who has struggled with faith or with the pitfalls of growing up. Fans of Clipston's earlier works will recognize some familiar characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)